The Story Seeker
by invaderoperaghost
Summary: A 9th grade English Honors class finds a machine that allows them to go into different stories. They begin to receive letters in red ink telling them where to go, and they end up in the Phantom's torture chamber, five cellars beneath the opera house.
1. The Story Seeker

GeniusJen: Hello, all, and welcome to my imagination! This story includes my English class and me as characters, as well as many other characters, settings, and situations which were not invented by me. I now welcome my other sides.

IngénueJen: How did they get in here?

ManiacJen: Intruders! Let me at them!

GeniusJen: No! They are guests, and they want to hear this story! So, without further ado, let my opera begin!

IngénueJen: Wait, this isn't an opera!

ManiacJen: I believe she was quoting the phantom.

GeniusJen: (sighs) Well, let's begin.

* * *

It seemed to be just an ordinary 4th period English class. The class was just about to begin listening to _Romeo and Juliet_ on tape. However, a shrill noise interrupted them just as the tape was about to begin. The whistling noise ceased as what seemed to be a computer appeared with a crash, and began to make a series of soft beeping noises. Peter said, "What is that?"

The strange machine seemed to notice and responded by saying, in a rather monotonous and high-pitched voice, "I am the Story Seeker 2005 and this class has been selected for my services."

Victoria asked, "Selected? Who selected us?"

"That is confidential," the Story Seeker responded briskly, "but rest assured that they mean no harm, and that no harm can come to any of you in this world as long as the rules are obeyed. I am printing the list of rules now."

Suddenly, a printer appeared right next to the computer and a list began to print. Dr. Evans grabbed the list and read it out loud:

**1. If any member of the class goes into a story, then the whole class goes into that story at once.**

**2. If any one of you dies while inside a story, you will become alive again once the class comes back here.**

**3. At least three people, one of them the one who chose the story, must be alive and together inside the story in order to leave the story.**

**4. If anyone in the class kisses or marries a character in the stories, then that character will come back here with them when the class returns. If the one who chose the story kisses or marries a character, then that character, the one who chose the story, and the class will be brought back here immediately.**

**5. The authorities must not be informed of the existence of the Story Seeker.**

"Are those all of the rules?" Dr. Evans asked the Story Seeker.

"For now." the Story Seeker responded, "However, they may come up with more rules later."

"Who are 'they'?" the whole class asked.

The Story Seeker refused to answer, and looked as relieved as is possible for a computer to look when the bell rang and the students left the portable.

* * *

When Dr. Evans was leaving her portable, she didn't notice the shadow that sneaked into the room right before she closed the door. The shadow greeted the Story Seeker and, once their business was settled, swiftly and easily left the classroom. Locks were no obstacle to him, and he was running late.

Finally, he arrived at his student's home through the underground passageway he had built to connect the school and her home and hastily hid inside her mirror. She was listening to the CD from that musical that had been loosely based off of his life.

"I'm here," he announced with his hypnotic and angelic voice. Then they spoke no more words and began the lesson, singing long into the night.


	2. Welcome to the Torture Chamber

When the bell rang for 4th period, Dr. Evans suddenly became aware of a note on her desk that she certainly had not noticed before. It was written in red ink in very childish handwriting that was hardly legible.

Dr. Evans read the letter aloud, noticing that it was addressed to the class as well as to her:

To Dr. Evans and the 4th period class:

"Fondest greetings to you all!" I have some requests as to how the Story Seeker is to be used. Jennifer must choose the first story that you will enter. If this demand is not met, then you shall all meet with a terrible fate.

P.S. Give Jennifer the rose.

Your obedient friend,

O.G.

Dr. Evans stated that she didn't remember seeing a rose.

Rene pointed towards the TV stand and said, "There is a rose!" Everyone looked at the TV stand and, sure enough, there was a long-stemmed red rose on top.

Arianne said, "That wasn't there a minute ago!" For a moment everyone wondered how the rose had gotten there. Then Dr. Evans gave the rose to Jennifer. There was a black ribbon attached to the stem.

Katrina pointed out how Dr. Evans had just told the class that the red rose represents love. Jennifer's face blushed to the color of the rose, while she looked very confused.

"It's the phantom of the opera!" Kevin said. Everyone looked at Jennifer, waiting for her response.

After a few minutes she answered, "It's true that in the movie he left Christine a red rose with a black ribbon attached. It's also true that he wrote his letters in red ink, and that he signed his letters O.G., for Opera Ghost."

Then Matt said, "Why did the opera ghost send you a rose, and why does he want you to pick the story?"

Jennifer answered, "He probably knows that I would pick his story somehow."

Most of the class responded to this by saying, "She doesn't get to pick the story, does she, Dr. Evans?"

Dr. Evans answered that they should go to a story that they had studied before.

* * *

Later that night, Jennifer was quickly getting ready for her lesson. True, the voice taught her inside her own bedroom, so she could probably take her time, but she wanted time to reflect on recent events.

It had been three months since the voice had begun to teach her, and she suddenly recalled that that was the amount of time that the phantom taught Christine before she saw him. Jennifer had naturally suspected that either the phantom of the opera himself was teaching her, or that she had begun to go mad.

The voice was even better than she could have imagined; it was more hypnotic and beautiful than any other that Jennifer could have imagined. She had noticed great improvement in her own voice since the voice that she assumed belonged to the phantom started teaching her.

Her suspicion was confirmed earlier that day by the rose and letter. No one could imitate that handwriting.

A light tap on the full-length wall mirror, which her tutor had installed for her, interrupted her thoughts. Suddenly realizing simultaneously that she had not completed putting on her pajamas and how the mirror in Christine's dressing room had served as a window to the phantom, she blushed and called out, "Don't look, I'm not fully dressed yet!"

He responded, "Don't worry, I won't peek."

Relieved, she quickly finished getting dressed and called, "I'm ready, but I have a question, Erik. Did you send the rose and the letter?"

For a moment there was silence, until her tutor responded, "Yes, I did, and I meant everything I said in it. Your class ought to learn to do as I say, before it is too late. For now, let us turn to the music."

Then the lesson began and Jennifer was absorbed by the music once more.

* * *

There was another note in red ink waiting for the class when they came back the next day, the day of the class's planned departure. It read:

To Dr. Evans and the 4th period class:

Is it to be war between us? I shall give you another chance to avoid disaster. If you wish for peace, my demand must be met. Let Jennifer choose the story. You will receive no more warnings.

Your obedient friend,

O.G.

After hearing the letter, the class turned to Jennifer, who had received a separate letter from the same person as well as another rose. Chris D took the letter from Jennifer and read it aloud:

My dear Jennifer,

You must know that you are in no danger and that I will never harm you. However I cannot guarantee your classmates' safety should they continue to ignore my request.

Your 'Angel of Music'

The class and Dr. Evans decided to ignore the threats and leave as planned after school.

* * *

Right after 7th period the class met in the portable, prepared with sleeping-bags and lunchboxes. When Dr. Evans activated the Story Seeker, it told them to concentrate on the story that they wanted to go to.

Suddenly, the whole class felt their eyes close involuntarily and saw, without opening their eyes, a great whirlpool of white light around them all. They heard a soft, beautiful voice in the distance, singing what sounded like, "Come to me, Angel of Music!" Then they all felt as if they were in a car that had swerved rapidly.

Suddenly their eyes opened and they were in a large mirrored room, in the shape of a hexagon. There was an iron tree in one corner, and a rope lay on the ground next to it. Most of the class was very confused, but the increased pallor of Jennifer's usually pale face revealed that she knew exactly where they were, and feared the place.

"Where are we?" several people asked her.

She hesitated and responded shakily, "We are in the year 1881, inside The Phantom of the Opera, the original book upon which the movies and musicals are based. We are five cellars beneath the Paris Opera House, inside his torture chamber."

The class started to talk among themselves frantically; Jennifer ended up handing her copy of the book to Dania in order for her to look up the answers to her questions.

Dr. Evans interrupted the commotion by pointing out that, as they were all tired, and as their watches now showed that the hour was late, they ought to go to sleep. So the students all set up their sleeping bags and tried to sleep.


	3. The Phantom of the Opera!

Genius Jen: Hello, time for some clarification! First off, we are not actually inside of Jennifer's head; we are simply fictional characters, invented for your amusement and only existing on these pages.

IngénueJen: I'm fictional?

ManiacJen: Yay! I'm fictional!

GeniusJen: (sighs) Yes. Moving onward to the next point, the phantom portrayed in this story is mostly based on the phantom from the original book by Gaston Leroux, and some dialogue will be used verbatim or paraphrased from the original novel in this story.

Additional traits for the phantom, some scenes, and his history, where they don't contradict the original book, have been adopted from Susan Kay's Phantom.

A few details and scenes have been added from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical and movie, as well as song lyrics, and perhaps a few hints of the silent movie starring Lon Chaney shall be thrown in as well.

IngénueJen and Maniac Jen: (watching said silent film) We love the Phantom!

GeniusJen: (imitating Invader Zim) I know you do. I know. (stops imitation) Anyway, it must also be said that if your favorite character dies, there is no need to worry because, as you may recall, they will be revived after the class leaves that story.

And now back to your regularly scheduled program.

* * *

A/N: In this story, italics without quotation marks denote singing. Also, I do not own The Phantom of the Opera.

* * *

A few hours later, Shannon was awoken by soft, wordless singing. She recognized Jennifer's voice, although it now sounded better than it ever had before, and looked at Jennifer, noticing that she seemed to be a trance. Most of the class started to wake up and listen to her sing.

Her voice became more confident, and she began to sing words: _In sleep he sang to me_. _In dreams he came. That voice which calls to me and speaks my name. And do I dream again? For now I find the Phantom of the Opera is there- inside my mind!_

Suddenly, a powerful, hypnotic voice could be heard, a voice more beautiful than the class could have imagined. It sang in response to her: _Sing once again with me, our strange duet! My power over you grows stronger yet. You'll give your love to me, for love is blind. The Phantom of the Opera is now your mastermind!_

A dark figure had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and it became apparent that he was the one singing- he was the Phantom! He was very tall and his frame was as thin as a skeleton's. He was wearing a suit and a long black cloak, and a black fedora was on his head on top of a few dark locks of hair. His entire face was covered by a white porcelain mask.

He offered Jennifer a gloved hand. She took it and briefly shivered, because his hand was unnaturally cold, and then sang back to him: _Those who have seen your face draw back in fear. I am the mask you wear…_

He finished, _It's me they hear!_ Then their voices joined together, and the phantom's unnaturally long and bony fingers that reeked of death were at her waist.

_My/your spirit and your/my voice, in one combined, the Phantom of the Opera is there- inside your/my mind!_

Then the phantom sang alone again: _In all your fantasies, you always knew that man and mystery…_

She finished, _Were both in you._

They sang together once again: _And in this labyrinth where night is blind, the Phantom of the Opera is there/here- inside your/my mind!_

The phantom then commanded, "Sing, my angel of music!" His voice was hypnotic even when he wasn't singing, and most of the class dared not approach. Jennifer began to vocalize strangely, singing at progressively higher pitches at the Phantom's command, and both Jennifer and the phantom seemed wrapped up in the music.

Thomas walked towards them, behind the phantom, and took off his mask. The phantom let out a thunderous cry of rage, and as the class was staring at his face, some of the girls fainting, noticing his skin "like yellow parchment," his golden eyes that glowed in the darkness of that room but were so sunken that they could not be seen during the day, the absence of a nose, and his incredibly thin lips, he covered Jennifer's eyes with one hand before she could see his face, pulled her to him, and, with the flick of his other wrist, had the Punjab lasso around Thomas's neck and garroted him.

The class, still shocked from seeing the phantom's face, then saw him put something over Jennifer's nose and mouth and saw her body go limp. Then the phantom wrapped his cloak around himself and Jennifer's unconscious form, which he was now carrying, and vanished.


	4. Realizations and Flashbacks

The next morning the class began talking about the events of the previous night: what happened to Thomas, their ideas on what could be happening to Jennifer, and what they thought might happen to them.

"Why did the Phantom take Jennifer?" Matt asked, "And why does he seem to like her so much?"

Dr. Evans pointed out that, as Jennifer was the one who chose the story, they could not escape back to their own story without her.

"We're all going to die!" Katrina said, as she had an emotional breakdown.

Kelly said shakily, showing her fear, "We should try to find Jennifer. Horrible things could be happening to her!"

Tiffany pointed out that Jennifer had been acting strangely for the past few months, walking around in a trance for much of the time. This reminded Brad of the night of the concert two months earlier, in which Jennifer had sung better than she had prior to that night.

Afterwards, Brad had seen Jennifer enter an abandoned classroom and had followed her. He was about to enter the room in order to see what she was up to, when he heard the voice that he now knew to belong to the phantom say, in a rather imperious way, "Jennifer, you must love me!"

Jennifer replied, "How can you talk like that when I sing only for you?"

Then the voice asked, "Are you very tired?"

She answered, "Tonight I gave you my soul and I am dead!"

The phantom then said, "Your soul is a beautiful thing, child. No emperor ever received so fair a gift. The angels wept tonight." Then they talked more quietly and Brad couldn't tell what they were saying.

A few minutes later, Brad saw Jennifer leave the room, apparently half in a trance, and he went into the room to determine the source of the voice. There wasn't anyone in there, and the only possible exit was the one through which Brad had come!

Brad was aroused from his flashback when Dania started to flip through the original novel, quoting random sentences in search of clues.

"What's legerdemain?" she asked.

Shannon said, "It has something to do with sleight of hand and magic tricks. Why?"

Dania answered, "This phantom's apparently a magician and conjurer, as well as a genius, a musician, a ventriloquist, and an architect. He is referred to by many names: trap-door lover, angel of doom, angel of music, etc."

Vincent said, "That must be how he disappeared with Jennifer."

The class agreed that he must be a mad (after all, he had a torture chamber) genius, and realized that Jennifer was entirely at his mercy- and so were they!

Kirsten R said, "There must be a way out of here!" Kirsten W, Kirsten R, and Kelsey started searching the mirrors for any invisible doors or switches, Drew and Chris H tried to climb the iron tree, several students were running around muttering random expletives, Kristina was calmly eating the food she had brought with her, and Shannon was seen in one of the six corners of the room in the fetal position singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

Looking through his invisible window into the torture chamber, the phantom thought with a smirk, "I haven't even turned it on yet, and already they are going mad."

Then he turned from the window and began to write a few letters in red ink. After he was satisfied with the result and after he checked that Jennifer was still asleep, he left his lair through one of his many trap-doors.

He had some shopping to do.

* * *

March 13, 2006 A/N: I have begun editing this story to make it so that the whole chapter isn't all one paragraph. I hope that this will make the story more enjoyable, as I always have trouble reading huge paragraphs on a computer screen. 

Please leave a review to let me know what you think, and enjoy the story. Also, check out my forum.


	5. In the Louis Philippe Room

Around noon, Jennifer awoke on a very comfortable divan in a room she recognized as the Louis-Philippe room in which Christine had stayed. The events of the previous night were distant in her memory, as if they had been a dream, although she could vividly remember losing consciousness. She sat up and noticed a red rose with a black ribbon attached and a note in red ink next to the divan. She picked up the note and read it slowly, for she was still a bit drowsy. It said:

My dear Jennifer,

You need have no concern as to your fate. You could have no better nor respectful friend in the world than myself. I am going out shopping for all of the things that you can need, and then I have a meeting with my banker. I shall return at half past twelve and we will have lunch. You'll find all of the clothes you will need in the dresser.

- Erik

Jennifer looked at the clock and noticed that she had twenty minutes until he would return. She changed into a modest cerulean dress, which somehow fit her perfectly, that she found in the dresser, and then noticed a door. She tried it and it was locked. Realizing that this was the door to the torture chamber, she called out, "Hello?"

The class could faintly hear her voice, and Dr. Evans shouted, "Jennifer?"

"Yes, I'm here!"

"Are you okay?" Katelyn asked.

"Has he hurt you at all?" asked Dr. Evans.

"I'm all right, and he hasn't hurt me, but I can't really remember what happened last night."

Greg asked, "Where are you, and is he with you?"

"I'm in the Louis-Philippe room, and he went shopping, but he'll be back very soon." She glanced at the clock and noticed that there were only a few more minutes until he would come back.

Kamilah asked, "What is the Louis-Philippe room?"

"It's the guest bedroom, named for its furniture. Wait, I think he's coming now."

Indeed, Jennifer heard a few light taps on the door, and the phantom, Erik, entered through the invisible door which Jennifer had read about but could not see. He looked very mysterious, even regal, in that cloak, she thought. "Are you ready, my dear?" he asked. Jennifer nodded, and he offered her his hand, still covered by the black glove. She took it and gave a barely noticeable shiver. The phantom led her to the dining room and pulled out a chair for her. She sat in it, and he sat in the chair across from her. There was a feast waiting for her! Filet mignon, prawns, chicken, a great variety of fruits and vegetables, and all sorts of desserts were set out on the table before her. Not to Jennifer's surprise, Erik did not eat; he just sat there drinking Russian tea and watching her tentatively nibble at the food.

When Jennifer had eaten all she could, she asked Erik if he would give the rest of the food to her classmates. He replied that he would take care of it, and then looked as if he had an announcement to make. He said hesitantly, "I know this will sound like an obscenity coming from me, but I… I love you." Jennifer looked at him quizzically, and he became fearful of how she would react. Finally, she said softly, "That doesn't sound obscene at all, Erik." Erik felt hope, which one thought in his head tried to disperse: "She hasn't seen your face yet. She'll hate you like everyone else when she does." Despite this, he still felt hopeful when he said, "I'll bring the food to your classmates now, and then we shall have our lesson." She nodded, and when he came back a few minutes later he led her to his bedroom, if it could be called that, for the music lesson. It was just as Jennifer had expected it to be, and rather macabre.

Taking up an entire wall of the room was the organ. The walls reminded one of a funeral home, draped all in black, and the border consisted of the notes of the _Dies Irae_. Most noticeable, however, was the coffin in place of a bed. Erik sat at the organ, and the lesson began. Many hours later, once Erik was satisfied with Jennifer's progress, they went back to the dining room, where there was a meal of pasta, breadsticks, and an even wider variety of fruits, vegetables and sweets waiting for Jennifer, and Russian tea for the phantom.


	6. Salmon Meat & Music of the Night

Meanwhile, in the torture chamber, the class was pondering Jennifer's words, discussing what had happened, and generally panicking.

Kelly said, "At least she's all right, and he hasn't hurt her."

"Yeah," Kevin said, "but she sounds brain-washed, and she said she can't remember much from last night."

"You have to remember," Matt said, "that Jennifer is a pumpkin on the outside and salmon meat on the inside."

"Do you mean that on the outside she looks little, plantlike, round, and orange, deep down inside she has the potential to cause great misfortune, like salmon mousse?" Chris H asked, in a reference to _Monty Python's The Meaning of Life_.

"What does that make you, Matt?" Kristina asked.

"I'm a grizzly bear on the outside and a flamingo on the inside."

Everyone spontaneously burst into laughter, until they were silenced by the sound of a pipe organ in the distance. It lasted for a long time, and they thought they heard singing as well. Chris D suddenly pointed across the room and yelled, "Food!" Everyone started running at the food, and began to eat. There was more than enough to feed the whole class, and it was all delicious. Rene noticed a note and pointed it out. Dr. Evans picked it up and read it aloud, noting that it was written in red ink:

To Dr. Evans and the 4th period class:

Your conversation this morning was very amusing. I don't like to harm helpless women and children, so you are in no danger unless my mask is touched again.

Your obedient friend,

O.G.

"That was arrogant." Greg said.

Tiffany said, "Does this mean that Jennifer really is unharmed?"

"If he's telling the truth, then she isn't in danger, either." Dr. Evans said.

Brad said, "I think there's something I should tell you all." He related the whole incident of the concert two months before. Dania, who was still looking for clues inside the book, found that the whole dialogue which Brad had related was almost identical to a conversation that had taken place between Christine and the phantom. Shannon and Victoria simultaneously recalled the phantom's temper, which Shannon had learned about from the silent movie and Victoria had learned about from the recent movie-musical. "Perhaps she is in danger, though." Shannon and Victoria said in unison. Arianne said, "Maybe we should try to find a way out." Everyone agreed and started searching.

* * *

After dinner, the phantom told Jennifer that a bath was drawn for her in the bathroom adjoining her bedroom, and instructed her to meet him in his room afterwards. Jennifer nodded, and met him half an hour later, and Erik then said, "You have sung for me all day. Now I will sing for you." He began to sing her favorite song, the song that always put her in a swoon, _The Music of the Night_: _Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination. Silently the senses abandon their defenses, helpless to resist the notes I write, for I compose the music of the night._ Sung by the actual phantom, as his voice could put her in a swoon no matter what he sang, this song was even more effective. He could tell that she was spellbound from the first note. He continued, _Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor; grasp it sense it, tremulous and tender. Hearing is believing; music is deceiving, hard as lightning, soft as candlelight. Dare you trust the music of the night?_ Jennifer was now in a blissful swoon. As soon as his voice commanded it, her eyes shut obediently: _Close your eyes, for your eyes will only tell the truth, and the truth isn't what you want to see. In the dark it is easy to pretend that the truth is what it ought to be._ The phantom's long, deft fingers began to trace over Jennifer, very close to her but not daring to touch her, as he sang the next words: _Softly, deftly, music shall caress you; hear it, feel it, secretly possess you. Open up your mind; let your fantasies unwind, in this darkness which you know you cannot fight: the darkness of the music of the night._ Jennifer, still in a swoon, capitulated to his almost-touch and started to adapt to its coldness. He continued singing: _Close your eyes; start a journey through a strange new world! Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before! Close your eyes and let music set you free! Only then can you belong to me…_ Placing one arm around her waist, Erik guided Jennifer's hand to his mask, and she began to stroke it softly. He continued singing: _Floating, falling, sweet intoxication. Touch me. Trust me. Savor each sensation. Let the dream begin! Let your darker side give in to the power of the music that I write: the power of the music of the night._ Jennifer suddenly fell unconscious; Erik caught her and easily carried her to her bedroom, where he gently placed her on the bed. He sang softly: _You alone can make my song take flight. Help me make the music of the night._


	7. Under the Trap Doors

The class was searching for a way out, when Dania triumphantly cried out, "There's a switch by the iron tree!" Kamilah saw the switch and hit it. A trap-door opened on the floor. Most of the class went down the trapdoor, but Kevin stayed behind, listening to his i-pod. The class entered the space below the trap-door, and the first thing they saw were barrels. The barrels seemed to have been soaked recently. Greg and Chris D opened one of the barrels, and Brad said, "It's gunpowder." This threw almost everyone in a panic. Matt noticed a dueling pistol on the ground and secretly pocketed it. After a few minutes, the class noticed another trap-door. They opened it and climbed down to find a small, round room. In the center of the room, in a glass case, was a life-sized doll of Jennifer, wearing a wedding dress and veil. It was so accurate that at first the class thought it was Jennifer, until they noticed that the eyes were made of glass. On a little table next to the glass case, Shannon found a sketchbook. Shannon opened it, and saw that the first few pages of the book were filled with drawings of a young woman with golden hair and clear blue eyes, who could only be Christine, and the rest of the book was filled with beautifully-drawn and accurate sketches of Jennifer, starting with pictures that looked more like Jennifer was when Shannon met her, in sixth grade. Shannon showed the class, and at first there was a lot of confusion. "Wasn't the phantom's handwriting nearly illegible, though? How can he draw so well?" Katelyn asked. Peter commented, "That's obsessive." Everyone agreed, and then a scream was heard. Everyone thought: "Kevin!"

* * *

For a few minutes, Erik just watched Jennifer sleep, apparently deep in thought. He saw her shiver, and that brought out his protective instincts. He took off his cloak and put it over her gently. Then he went to bring food to the class, as Jennifer had requested. When he got there, he noticed that there was only one student there. They had found the trap-door! "Well, it doesn't matter," he thought, "because there isn't a way out that way." While the phantom was setting out the food, Kevin, after putting his i-pod in his pocket, came behind him and tried to take off his mask, but the phantom turned quickly and activated the trap-door under them both. When Kevin looked around, the phantom was nowhere to be seen. The trap-door closed above him, and Kevin thought he saw two blazing yellow orbs in the darkness. He then heard a voice saying, "I'm here: the Phantom of the Opera!" repeatedly, coming from a different spot each time. First it was by his foot, then it seemed to talk right into his ear, and then it was behind him. Kevin turned towards where he thought the voice was coming from, and after the third time he noticed that his i-pod was gone! He heard the voice again, this time coming from a dark shape, and this time it said, "Over here, monsieur! I'm here!" Kevin walked in the direction of the shape. The voice said, "That's right, monsieur! Keep walking this way!" A fireball landed at Kevin's feet, but like a moth towards a flame, Kevin was inexorably drawn towards the shape and could not stop. Another fireball came, and this one scorched Kevin's shoe. Kevin reached the shape, and the last thing he saw before everything went dark was a pair of yellow eyes. 


	8. A Requiem

When the class rushed back into the torture chamber, they saw Kevin hanging from the ceiling by a rope around his neck. They took his body off of the rope, and noticed a note pinned to it, written not in red ink, but in blood:

To Dr. Evans and the 4th period class:

This is not my fault. You have all been warned as to what your fate will be if you touch my mask. This is your final warning.

Your obedient friend,

O.G.

"Not his fault!" Matt said, "What kind of mad psychopath are we dealing with?" Everyone could see a mad glint in his eyes and could tell that he was seriously planning how to avenge his twin. Kelly said softly, "What kind of mad psychopath has ensnared Jennifer?" Suddenly they heard powerful organ music. It was a requiem.

* * *

When Jennifer woke up, she heard music. "It sounds like a requiem, but who has died?" she thought. She followed the music to Erik's room and entered. She noticed a dissected i-pod on a table. Erik didn't seem to notice her presence, as absorbed as he was in the music. Not knowing what to do, Jennifer sat down next to him on the bench and listened to him play.

After a few minutes, Erik noticed her and asked, "Did I wake you up?" Jennifer said, "No. I just heard you playing when I woke up and came here. What time is it?" He replied that it was 4 o' clock in the morning, and asked if she would like to see his library. She nodded, and he led her there. Jennifer thought, "It's beautiful! There must be a thousand books here!" She noticed that there were books in many different languages: French, English, Russian, Italian, German, Persian, Arabic,and many others as well. Noticing Jennifer's contented smile, the phantom grinned and said, "Would you like to play chess?" Jennifer said that she would, and they played for a long while, Erik always winning.


	9. A Meeting With the Daroga

While Jennifer was eating a breakfast of croissants, bacon, eggs, and various fruits, one fruit in particular caught her eye. She grabbed the fruit, which was about the size of an orange, and tasted it. After she had eaten the rest of the fruit, she asked Erik what type of fruit it was. Erik replied, "That was a pomegranate." Her naturally pale skin paled to an even lighter shade, and Erik smirked inwardly, knowing that the significance of that was not lost on Jennifer. Erik finished his Russian tea in silence, and when they were both finished he asked, "Would you like to take a walk by the lake, and perhaps a ride across the lake?" Jennifer answered, "I would like that, Erik."

He led her on a walk across the shore of the lake, holding her hand and conversing with her, for about half an hour. Then he said, "Would you like to ride across the lake now? I have an appointment." Jennifer nodded, and the phantom gently lifted her into a gondola that was docked to a pier. Erik stood in the boat and rowed it across the dark lake, which took quite a while, his eyes always on Jennifer. When they finally reached the other side of the lake, a dark-skinned man with jade-green eyes was waiting for them. Jennifer guessed that he was the Persian from the original book, the chief of police of Mazenderan.

The Persian greeted Erik and then said, in French, "Who is this, Erik? Only two weeks after Christine and you've kidnapped another girl?" Erik thought for a moment, looking very sad, and then said, "I told you about the Story Seeker, daroga. It has an interesting quality. You can spend years in another story while only hours have passed in your own. Indeed, I spent over three years watching her before I brought her here, daroga." As Erik helped Jennifer out of the boat, the Persian asked, "What exactly are your intentions, Erik? You were always a gentleman back at Mazenderan…"

"What exactly are you insinuating, daroga? I love her, and my intentions are very honorable. This will end in marriage."

"Does she know about this, Erik? She's only a girl! How can you expect her to marry you?"

"I haven't told her yet, but I can assure you that she is staying here of her own volition."

"Of her own volition? Erik, I've seen you control grown men with your voice! Does she even know about your face, Erik?"

Erik frowned and said, "I daresay she knows! But I'm not going to show her, and she hasn't questioned my mask at all."

Noting that Erik was still holding on to Jennifer's hand, the Persian asked Jennifer if everything Erik had said was true. When Jennifer looked confused by the French, Erik said to the Persian, "She doesn't understand French, daroga."

The Persian looked shocked and said, "Is she English?"

Erik answered with a smirk, "American. You know, daroga, she's left-handed like I am." This made the daroga look frightened and shocked, as there were manysuperstitions against left-handedness at that time.

Noticing the daroga's expression, Jennifer asked Erik what he had said. Erik told her and she said, "Yes. To quote The Left-Hander's Handbook, 'Left-handers are wired into the artistic half of the brain, which makes them imaginative, creative, surprising, ambiguous, exasperating, stubborn, emotional, witty, obsessive, infuriating, delightful, original, but never, _never_ dull.'" This was Erik's turn to be shocked. She had just described _him_ with that quote. The daroga also looked shocked when he heard what she had said. Then Erik said seriously to the Persian, "I would like for you to come to the wedding, daroga, but don't try to interfere with my plan. I don't want to have to kill my only friend." The phantom lifted Jennifer back into the gondola and rowed back to the other shore.


	10. A Plot

In the torture chamber, the class woke up to the smell of breakfast mixing with the stench of the two corpses. One by one they got up and began to eat the leftovers, all thinking about what had happened the night before. After they ate, Dr. Evans ordered that no one should touch the phantom's mask. When everyone else had gone to pursue their individual pursuits, one group met in a corner of the torture chamber. Matt, with a crazed look in his eyes, said, "We have to stop this phantom. My brother must be avenged." Arianne said, "Not to mention Jennifer needs to be rescued. She might be safe for now, but she did sound brainwashed, or at least hypnotized." Greg asked Matt, "What's your plan?" Matt took out the dueling pistol and explained, "Next time he brings food, we wait for him and Arianne takes off his mask. Drew, Peter, Vincent, Greg, and Chris, you surround him. Then I'll shoot him." Vincent said, "He won't just stand still, though. What if he kills us?" Matt said, "He won't. It's seven to one, and the rest of the class will help when they see what's going on." "We're in." Peter, Arianne, Drew, Chris, Vincent, and Greg all said.

* * *

When Erik and Jennifer reached Erik's lair, Erik lifted her out of the gondola and asked her if she was hungry. She nodded, so he put her down lightly and led her to the dining-room, where he pulled out a chair for her. She sat down and nodded when he told her to wait there while he brings her lunch. He brought ham, bisque, bread rolls, mixed vegetables, and several different types of fruit and placed them on the table. She began to eat the food without the tentativeness she had displayed when eating the first meal he had given her, and she thought he smiled when he noticed this, although it was hard to tell because of the mask. After she had finished eating, Erik said that it was time for their lesson. She followed him obediently to the organ, and they sang for many hours. 


	11. Angel of Music or Death?

Back in the torture chamber, Kelly was taking a nap amidst her classmates, who were generally either napping or panicking. Kelly was having a decidedly odd and seemingly nonsensical dream:

Jennifer was sitting on a cushion in a little rectangular room. Three of the walls were covered in red paint, but the fourth wall was replaced by a large mirror, the surface of which looked rather misty. Kelly entered the room and sang: _Where in the world have you been hiding? Really, you were perfect! I only wish I knew your secret. Who is your new tutor?_

Jennifer turned to Kelly and sang in response: _Iusedto readof an angel. I used to dream he'd appear. Now as I sing I can sense him, and I know he's here!_

She stood up and, seemingly in a trance, continued singing: _Here in this room he calls me softly, somewhere inside, hiding. Somehow I know he's always with me, he the unseen genius!_

Kelly sang: _I watched your face from the shadows, distant through all the applause. I hear your voice in the darkness, yet the words aren't yours._

Jennifer seemed to slip further into a trance and sang: _Angel of music, guide and guardian, grant to me your glory!_ Kelly sang softly, to herself, _Who is this angel, this-_ Kelly's voice joined with Jennifer's, as they sang together: _Angel of music, hide no longer, secret and strange angel!_

Jennifer sang, staring at the mirror: _He's with me even now…_ Kelly looked confused and sang: _Your hands are cold._ Jennifer continued, _…all around me._

Kelly sang: _Your face, Jennifer, it's white._ Jennifer sang: _It frightens me._ Kelly tried to comfort Jennifer by singing: _Don't be frightened._

Suddenly, Kelly became invisible and many suitors came into the room, bringing bouquets of flowers and other gifts. Jennifer refused their gifts and compliments and sent them all away.

Then thunderous music was heard and the phantom's voice filled the room: _Insolent boys, these slaves of fashion, basking in your glory! Ignorant fools, these brave young suitors, sharing in **my** triumph!_

Jennifer seemed to fall back into a trance, and sang: _Angel, I hear you. Speak, I listen. Stay by my side, guide me! Angel, my soul was weak; forgive me! Enter at last, master!_

The voice paused for a moment, and then sang in a tender tone: _Flattering child, you shall know me. See why in shadow I hide. Look at your face in the mirror; I am there inside!_

Jennifer started to approach the mirror and sang blissfully:_ Angel of music, guide and guardian, grant to me your glory! Angel of music, hide no longer! Come to me, strange angel!_

The voice chanted hypnotically: _I am your angel. Come to me, angel of music!_ Jennifer was almost touching the mirror.

The voice continued: _I am your angel of music! Come to me, angel of music!_ A gloved hand with long, cold, and bony fingers reached out of the mirror, grabbed Jennifer's wrist, and pulled her into the mirror.

Kelly woke up with a scream. Dr. Evans, Katrina, and Tiffany came to see what was wrong. Kelly related the dream, and wondered aloud what it could mean. Suddenly, a shriek was heard and everyone looked to see what was going on.

The phantom was there, his mask in Arianne's hand. He had snapped her wrist as easily as if it were a twig. Chris D, Greg, Peter, Vincent, and Drew were approaching him, when Matt shot at the phantom, and one shot hit the phantom's right shoulder as he pushed Arianne out of the way of the gunfire. Erik quickly drew a dagger from his cloak and, lunging towards Matt, managed to embed it in Matt's chest, effectively stopping the gunfire. The students began to surround him, when he shot a ring of fire around himself and declared, _"You will curse the day you did not do all that the Phantom asked of you!"_ Then, twirling his cloak around himself and laughing maniacally, he vanished, as did the flames.


	12. Beneath the Mask

Jennifer was interrupted from reading in the library by loud noises that sounded like gunshots. She hurried to her room, and saw Erik standing in the corner, facing the wall, with an open wound in his right shoulder. Jennifer thought better of asking him if he was okay, as the answer was quite obvious, and instead said, "Erik, do you need any help?"

Erik answered, his beautiful voice quivering, "No. Go back to the library." Jennifer said, "Erik, you've been shot! That could get infected!" Erik sighed and said, "Yes, I daresay it could." Then he gave her instructions on how to remove the bullet and how to treat the wound.

She followed his directions to the letter, and in about a quarter of an hour the wound was treated. Jennifer noticed that Erik looked very awkward, and realized that he didn't have his mask on. Jennifer asked, "Erik?" Forgetting that his mask wasn't on as soon as he heard her voice, he turned to face her. At first he moved to cover his face, but then he moved his hand and decided to see what her reaction would be. It wasn't as bad as he had expected. At first she let out an almost inaudible gasp, and her eyes slightly widened when she saw the gap where his nose should have been. Jennifer just said softly, "Erik" and looked away. Erik grabbed her wrists and turned her towards him, saying with a hint of fury in his voice, "Look at me, Jennifer! You have seen my face, so now you belong to me and you will love me forever. Now that you know that I am built up of death from head to foot and that it is a corpse that loves you and adores you and will never leave you, you can never leave me! Now that you know, you might run away, so I shall keep you here!" He then let go of Jennifer, placing her on the divan, and started to sob. He then opened an invisible window that looked over the torture chamber, and the light in the window was on.

* * *

In the torture chamber, it was beginning to get unbearably hot. The mirrors had moved in a way that created the illusion that they were in an African rainforest, and the mirrors and ceiling were all heated up. Most of the class had surrounded Matt, who was severely injured by the blade. Luckily, the dagger hadn't hit any vital organs, but he was bleeding profusely and if the open wound wasn't cared for soon, it would surely get infected. Kamilah said, "I brought a first aid kit. I'll go get it." She came back a minute later, carrying the first aid kit. The kit had some bandages and some pain medicine to help Matt with the pain. A while later, his wound was taken care of in a rather makeshift way, but it was good enough to stop the wound from getting infected and to stop Matt from bleeding to death. Then Arianne's wrist was tended to, and the class turned to the very pressing problem that was burning in their minds (and burning their bodies): what exactly was this torture chamber, and how could they escape from it? Already it was unbearably hot, and some of them were already convinced by the heat and the illusion that they were indeed in an African rainforest, and not in a mirrored room. Dania, looking through the book for details, realized that the only way out was through the door into Jennifer's room.

* * *

Jennifer saw that Erik was crying and moaning, after noticing that the torture chamber was on, and went over to him to comfort him. Erik said slowly and deliberately, "You will have to choose between the wedding mass and the requiem mass, but I do not want your decision now." He then said, between moans, "I am sick and tired… of living like this, in this house… with a torture chamber. I want to live… like anybody else. I want to have a normal house…with a wife in it…like any other man. A wife whom I could love…. and amuse and… take out on Sundays. I could make you the happiest of women! We could sing together forever! Why are you crying? You fear me… but I am not really evil! If you loved me…I would be gentler than a lamb! You don't love me!"

After this he sobbed and then said softly, the moaning ceasing, "But you will. You will learn to love me; you will get used to me. You could have so much fun with me! As you know, I am the best ventriloquist in the whole world. Listen and watch! You see, my lips are not moving, yet you can hear my voice! It's coming from the organ now, now from that book! Would you like it in your right ear? Your left ear? Where is my voice now? It is in the torture chamber! It says: 'Woe to those who have a nose and come to see the torture chamber!'" He shifted his voice to the different places he mentioned, his lips never moving. Jennifer smiled slightly, and Erik felt hope when he saw this. Then he said, moving his lips again, "You are tired. You should rest now." Then he left the room gracefully and soundlessly.


	13. The Daroga's Story

A/N: I'm sorry that the chapters have been so shortthus far, but I'm trying to make them longer and compensate for it by updating many times a day. Please read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

Later that night in the torture chamber, everyone was trying their best to rest, despite the illusion of the forest, the scorching heat, and the voice they thought that they had heard. Kelly was having another odd dream: 

Jennifer was in the same room that she was in during Kelly's previous dream, crying while sitting on one of the cushions. The whole class was with Kelly this time, invisible to Jennifer. Suddenly, a voice filled the room, singing gently: _Wandering child, so lost, so helpless, yearning for my guidance._ Jennifer looked up uncertainly and sang: _Angel or father, friend or phantom? Who is it there staring?_

The voice answered softly: _Have you forgotten your angel?_ Jennifer stood up and sang: _Angel, oh speak! What endless longings echo in this whisper…_

The phantom had appeared and began to draw Jennifer towards him, singing: _Too long you've wandered in winter, far from my far-reaching gaze._ The class could see that Jennifer was falling into a trance, but she sang: _Wildly my mind beats against you._ Erik sang, _You resist…_

Then their voices joined, as Jennifer met Erik, _yet your/the soul obeys! Angel of Music, you/I denied me/you, turning from true beauty! Angel of Music, (do not shun me!)/(my protector!) Come to your/me strange angel!_ Brad, Chris, Chris, Greg, Matt, Drew, Katelyn, and Vincent all approached the phantom, yelling, "Let her go!" Jennifer seemed to rise out of her trance for a moment, and Erik shot a multitude of fireballs at the students. Then Kelly woke up.

When Kelly woke up, she thought she must still be dreaming. The phantom was there standing over her, now wearing a black full-face silk mask. Kelly tried to cry out, but the phantom put his hand over her mouth, effectively silencing her. He whispered, "Jennifer needs your help. Will you come?" Kelly, split between fear of the phantom and fear for Jennifer, hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

The phantom took his hand off of her mouth, and then led her to where Brad was sleeping. Brad woke up and was pulled up by the phantom, who covered Brad's mouth with his hand. Erik said in a whisper, "Come with me. Jennifer needs your help." Brad tried to struggle, but the phantom was deceptively strong considering his gaunt frame and easily overpowered him. Then the phantom controlled both Kelly and Brad with his voice and led them out of the torture chamber.

* * *

The next morning, the class woke up to find Brad and Kelly missing. They looked everywhere, including under the trapdoors that they had discovered, but they were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a noise like a rock being shifted was heard, and a dark-skinned man with jade-colored eyes and an astrakhan cap on his head fell into the torture chamber. "Who are you?" the class all asked him. 

The man looked shocked to see a class there in the torture chamber, but answered, "I am Nadir Khan, former daroga of Mazenderan. Did you come here using the Story Seeker?" Everyone answered yes, and the daroga nodded. His eyes were wide as he said, "I never thought he would hold so many children in his torture chamber." Greg asked, "You know the phantom?" Nadir nodded and said sadly, "Yes, I know Erik." The class asked the Persian to tell them about him. The daroga seemed worried about this request, but agreed to tell them what he knew about Erik.

"As far as I know, Erik was born in a small village near Rouen. His father, an architect, died before he was born, and his mother hated him for his face and made him wear a mask. He ran away from home when he was young and met some Gypsies, who displayed him as 'The Living Corpse' in their fair. By the time that I met him for the first time at the fair at Njini-Novgorod in Russia, he was performing on his own. His voice was beyond any other on the earth, his magic tricks were amazing, and his legerdemain was so good that…well, many times he took my pocket-watch out of his cloak and gave it back to me, having taken it from my pocket without giving me the slightest idea it was gone. I was on orders from the Shah to bring him to Persia, because the sultana was bored and wanted to see the greatest magician in the world. Eventually I got Erik to come to Persia, where he built a torture chamber just like this one to entertain the sultana. She called him the Angel of Doom and often locked a condemned man, armed with a pike and a broadsword, in a courtyard with Erik, who only had his Punjab lasso, which he had mastered while he lived in India. Just when it seemed that the man was about to kill Erik, that magical lasso always flew through the air and, with a simple turn of the wrist, Erik had strangled his opponent easily. Erik also built a palace for the Shah, with many trap-doors that allowed the Shah to move about unseen. After its completion, the Shah ordered that Erik and all of the men who worked on the site be executed, for fear that they may build a similar palace for another ruler, and put me in charge of arresting Erik. Instead, I helped Erik escape from Persia. I would have been executed, but my allies dressed a corpse in Erik's clothes. It was found on the shore of the Caspian Sea and believed to be Erik's body. Twenty-five years later, after I spent five years in a prison in Persia, I met Erik again. I had been exiled from Persia, and was then living in Paris, as I am now. Erik had apparently been a contractor who worked on building this Opera House. He had built many trap-doors throughout the place, and built a home for himself across the lake five cellars under the building. Not long after I met him again, he fell in love with a young chorus girl named Christine Daae. He made her sing like an angel. When we met he kept telling me that he was loved for himself, and that there would be a wedding. I seriously doubted any of that, and soon discovered that Christine had not seen his face. She believed that he was the Angel of Music that her dead father had promised to send her. I promised him that I would stay out of his business if I saw her come back to him of her own will. She did so several times, seemingly not coerced into doing so. However, I saw her on the roof with the young Vicomte de Chagny, and could tell that the viscount and Christine were in love."

The Persian's story was interrupted by a roaring noise that sounded like a lion. Chris D took Matt's dueling pistol and started shooting towards the source of the noise. The Persian stopped him from shooting and said, "No! It's not a real lion, and this isn't really a forest! Erik is in the next room making the noise. The mirrors are reflecting the iron tree. You can't believe the illusion!" Dr. Evans said, "We should go down the trap-door so that the illusion doesn't drive us mad." The daroga said, "Yes, you should take your class down there. It'll be safer there. I'll try to call Erik." The daroga began to yell Erik's name and, as the class was going through the trap-door, Erik's voice was heard saying, "You're too early for the wedding, daroga."


	14. Delirium and Growing Feelings

When Brad and Kelly entered the Louis-Philippe room, the first thing they noticed was Jennifer lying in a semi-conscious delirium on a large bed, thrashing about wildly and shivering at turns. "What have you done to her?" Brad and Kelly both said. Erik glared at them, but controlled his temper and said, "I did nothing to her. She is ill." He put his hand on her forehead and added, "She has a bad fever, slips in and out of a delirious state, and shivers sporadically. I need you to take care of her, because I don't think she'd want me to be the first thing she sees when she wakes up." He took several vials out of his cloak, and began to mix some of their contents together. He placed all but one of the vials on a small table and poured the contents of the one vial that he did not mix at all down Jennifer's throat. She shivered once, and then calmed and seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Kelly asked him what it was that he gave Jennifer, and Brad started asking what qualified him to give medicine. The phantom answered both of them, "That was a tincture of laudanum; she'll sleep peacefully for a while. I am competent in many fields." Then, indicating one of the vials, he said, "When she wakes up, give her this."

As if he read Brad's thoughts, he said, "No, it doesn't work for you to leave this story, even though there are three of you here, while she is delirious or sleeping. She also must be willing to leave." Then he left with a graceful swish of his cape.

* * *

Right after the class hurried down the trap-door at the sound of Erik's voice, they began to sit down and try to rest. Kristina noticed that the gunpowder, which was wet before, had been replaced by fresh gunpowder, and pointed this out. This created another panic. Had the phantom replaced it? The class went further down the trap-door and noticed that the wedding dress was gone.

* * *

Several hours later, Jennifer began to stir. She looked confused and asked, "Brad? Kelly?" Noticing that she was still in the Louis-Philippe room, she wondered what Brad and Kelly were doing there. Kelly, who was holding the vial, said, "He said to give you this." Jennifer said, "Erik did?" Brad and Kelly nodded. Jennifer took the vial and drank it. Then she asked what had happened in the torture chamber. Kelly and Brad related the events, and Jennifer's eyes grew wide as she heard of what had happened to Thomas, Kevin, Matt, and Arianne. Then Brad and Kelly asked Jennifer what had happened to her. She told them everything that had happened. Brad asked her if she wanted to leave.

Jennifer frowned and responded, "I don't think so. I'm so confused right now! I want to leave so that the class is safe, but it would hurt him too much if I left. I fear that I am falling for him! It's just as Christine once said: 'he lays at my feet an immense and tragic love…he has carried me off for love!'"

Kelly said softly, "He's ugly, and very scary."

Jennifer snapped angrily, "Kelly! That's not it! You said that he killed Thomas and Kevin, and I should have remembered that he has killed many more people throughout his life! If his face was the issue and not the fact that he has killed, or even if it was all far in his past, I would marry him gladly, as he wants me to!" Her voice softened and sounded sad as she said, "As things are, I still probably will have to marry him. But I cannot run away. He has taught me so much; I feel so indebted to him." At that moment, the medicine began to make her drowsy, and she fell asleep.

* * *

About half an hour later, the phantom came into the room. He felt her forehead and noticed that her fever had lessened considerably. She shivered, but there was no way to tell whether this was because she was still sick or because of his frigid touch. Erik turned towards Brad and Kelly and asked, "You gave her the medicine?" They nodded, and he questioned them about various symptoms. When he was satisfied, he said, "Very well." He motioned to Kelly and said, "You may sleep here on the divan if you wish." Motioning to Brad, he said, "Follow me."

Not wanting to get lost in the labyrinth of dim passageways, Brad obeyed and was led to the phantom's library, where Erik said, "You may stay here." The phantom turned to leave, and as the door closed Brad heard a lock bolt. Brad took a book off of the shelf and started to read.


	15. The Grasshopper or the Scorpion?

The next morning, the class awoke in the torture chamber instead of the room with the gunpowder. Kirsten W tried to pull up the trap-door, but it was locked. Rene said, "Look! It's that Persian guy!" Indeed, Nadir Khan was lying on the ground unconscious. The scene had shifted to that of a desert, and the temperature was still intolerably hot.

* * *

In the library, Brad, who had found some matches on the way there, decided to light a fire. Just as he had lit the match, however, he heard the lock unlatch and the phantom entered before he could start the fire. Seeing the match, the phantom grabbed it, extinguished it, and said angrily, "What do you think you're doing?" Before Brad could answer, the phantom had pulled him into a tiny room with nothing on the walls and just a chair for furniture. Brad reached into his pocket to get the other matches he had found, but they were gone. The phantom smirked and showed Brad the matches within his cloak. He then locked Brad within the little room.

* * *

When Kelly woke up, Jennifer was already awake and was pacing the room. They both said, "Good morning." Then the phantom came in and said, "Would you like some breakfast?" The girls nodded, and he led them to the dining room. After breakfast, Erik asked Jennifer softly, "Would you still like to have a lesson?" Jennifer answered, "Yes, Erik." The phantom nodded and led Kelly back to the Louis-Philippe room, and then took Jennifer to the organ, where they sang for many hours.

* * *

Back in the torture chamber, everyone was going mad with thirst, even the daroga, who had regained consciousness. However, despite the class's attempt to take care of the wound, Matt was still dying and was unconscious. Although no vital organs were pierced by the dagger, the impact had broken several of Matt's ribs and he could die without professional medical attention.

Suddenly the illusion of the torture chamber changed from that of a desert to an oasis. The daroga muttered, "It's a mirage," but no one could resist moving towards that illusion, as everyone was now extremely thirsty. Several students had passed out or passed away from dehydration. To add to the illusion, the sound of rain filled their ears, but there was no rain. They could hear the water and see the water, but it was not there.

Suddenly, they heard the phantom's voice: "This is how you will show me what you have chosen! If your answer is no, then turn the grasshopper and everybody will be dead _and buried_, for the grasshopper _hops jolly high_! If your answer is yes, then turn the scorpion and, in celebration of our wedding, you will have given the hundreds of Parisians applauding the opera right now the gift of their lives." The Persian yelled, "Erik! Don't do this! Remember, I saved your life!" Erik said with a strange calmness, "Ah, you are not all dead in there? Well, stay silent." The daroga yelled, "Erik, don't do this!" Erik responded, "Be silent, or I will blow everyone up." Jennifer said softly, "Erik, I have turned the scorpion." The class could hear her footsteps until the sound of rushing water filled their ears.

The class was soon surrounded by tons of water, which had burst through the locked trap-door. There was soon water up to their knees, and a few students helped Matt to stand so that he wouldn't drown. Some students were so thirsty that they drank some of the water. Soon the water was above their heads so that they had to swim to keep afloat and not drown, but as the water rose they fell unconscious one by one.


	16. Spared

When Jennifer came into the Louis-Philippe room, Kelly noticed that tears were streaming down her face. Kelly went to comfort her.

A few minutes later, the phantom came in. Kelly asked, "What did you do to make her cry?" The phantom responded, "I did nothing to make her cry!" He turned to Jennifer and said gently, "Don't cry! I can't bear to see you cry! You are crying because we will be married, right? I understand; no one wants to marry an old cantankerous living cadaver!" He sobbed after saying this. Jennifer stopped crying and went over to him. She hugged him and said, "That's not it, Erik, but why didn't you just ask me to marry you instead of threatening to kill everyone?" Erik answered sadly, "You would have rejected me." Jennifer answered softly, "You don't know that, Erik! I'm…I'm falling in love with you. I've never fallen in love with anyone before. I'm…I'm terrified, and you killed my classmates…but, somehow, I'm falling in love with you." After she said this they were both crying. Erik looked like he had just realized something and said dejectedly, still crying, "I have a version of…the Story Seeker. You can leave." He turned to go, but Jennifer said, "Erik, I don't want to go! I want my class to be free to go, but I don't want to leave you." Erik said, his voice wavering, "You…you don't? You would stay…with me?" Jennifer answered, "Yes, Erik, if you try not to kill anyone else." Erik nodded and said, "I'll try. Ah, I must hurry! Your class could have drowned by now! I'll rescue them now, and we will send them back tomorrow morning. Then we will hop merrily to our wedding!" He left, and Jennifer and Kelly started to talk. Jennifer asked Kelly if she would be the bridesmaid, and Kelly accepted.

* * *

When Matt woke up, he was lying on a divan. He tried to stand up, but found that he couldn't. Then Jennifer came in silently, handing him a cup of some sort of tea. Matt tried to ask her what had happened, when the phantom's voice interrupted him, saying, "Talking to _my bride _would be very dangerous to everyone's health." Matt asked Jennifer, "What? You agreed to marry him?" Jennifer nodded, and Erik said, "To please _my bride_, I have spared your lives. Your wound has been taken care of, so you will live. In a few hours I will send you all back to your story. Ah, I almost forgot!" He took the dissected i-pod out from his cloak and, in a matter of minutes, had put it back together and handed it to Matt, saying, "Give this to your brother when you get back." Matt was enraged, but was in no condition to do anything about it and realized that, as they were going home soon, there was no need to seek revenge at the moment. Then Matt began to feel very drowsy.

* * *

When the class woke up, they were in a library. Katrina began to mourn for Dania and Tiffany, who had drowned in the torture chamber. Suddenly, Brad and Kelly came in, led by the phantom. The phantom said, "Daroga, a word with you?" Nadir and Erik left to talk where the class couldn't hear. Dr. Evans asked Kelly and Brad, "Are you alright? Is Jennifer safe?" Brad and Kelly nodded that they were more or less okay, and Kelly said, "Jennifer is fine, but I am worried about her! She agreed to marry the phantom, and that is whyhe spared you all."

A few minutes later, the daroga came back in with Matt. He was carrying a large tome, which had "Story Seeker 1881" inscribed in golden lettering on the cover and on the spine. Nadir said, "Erik has given you the means to go home. He said that Kelly said that she would stay to be the bridesmaid." Kelly nodded, and left the room with Nadir. Dr. Evans opened the book and found the page of their story, activating the Story Seeker.


	17. Return to Home

The class was once again swirled through the inferno of blinding white light which made them close their eyes. When the class opened their eyes, they were back in the portable. A minute later, they turned around and saw Kelly appear, wearing a pretty purple dress. Before they could ask Kelly how she had gotten here, the phantom and Jennifer materialized, locked in avery chaste kiss. Jennifer was wearing the wedding dress that they had seen on the doll of her under the trap-door. The kiss broke and the class could see tears pouring out of Erik's eye holes. He said softly, smiling and looking rather tranquil, "In the half of a century that I have existed, that was the first time that I had kissed…on the lips…and you…you did not die! I…I…I kissed you, and…you did not die!" Erik knelt before her and kissed the hem of her dress several times, still crying, before he turned to the class.

They could feel his influence seeping into their minds, and were powerless against it. Compelled by the phantom's control, Matt took Kevin's i-pod out of his pocket and handed it to his twin, who had come back to life, along with the rest of the students who had died, as promised by the Story Seeker. Then Matt's grudge consumed him, and he lunged at the phantom. Before anyone could see what had happened, the phantom had pinned Matt to the floor with many small daggers and had a sword at his throat. The phantom was just about to kill Matt, when Jennifer yelled, "Erik, no!" Erik stopped, stood up, and approached Jennifer, with Matt still pinned to the ground. He kissed her on the forehead timidly, and then asked, "Are you tired?" She nodded. He handed her a vial, and she drank its contents trustingly. She collapsed, unconscious, into his arms, and he lifted her up, holding her horizontally.

The phantom turned to leave, but Dr. Evans had broken from his power enough to question him, but not to move. She said, "You can't take Jennifer! How do we know that you really got married? How do we know that you will take care of her, and let her come to class?" The phantom sighed and took a piece of paper from his cloak. He showed it to Dr. Evans and to the class and said, "This paper and Kelly were witness to our wedding." Kelly confirmed it, and the paper was signed by the daroga and Kelly as witnesses and by some sort of government official or priest. The phantom continued talking after moving a stray hair from in front of Jennifer's face, "I have both the means and the will to take care of Jennifer. I will cherish her, and under my tutelage she will blossom. She is mine, and I am keeping her! I will teach her, protect her from the world and from harm, and make her happy, and she will stay with me forever."

Matt asked, "What did you drug her with? Was it poison?" The phantom was livid at this, but tried to control his temper and said, "No, it is not poison. It is laudanum, to help her rest. I would never hurt Jennifer, but I would have no qualms about harming any of you if you keep trying my patience. I would rather not kill any of you, because it would upset Jennifer, but if I must then I will without hesitation. Humanity has cast me beyond its rights for my face, so I am not bound by any human responsibilities or laws."

The class asked him what he meant by that. He answered, "Ah, none of you can know what it is like, to be forced to wear a mask, not to even know the reason why you must wear it until you are five! Then, it takes quite awhile after first seeing a mirror, after enduring the nightmares and thinking that a monster lives inside your mirror, to finally comprehend that the monster is yourself! None of you can know what it is like for the boys in the village to kill your dog, the only one who had ever shown you any friendship, because it is the monster's dog, or for the priest try to exorcise you for getting a bit upset after he tells you that your dog had no soul! None of you could possibly understand what it is like to be forced to live in a cage! A cage! All this before the tenth year of life! None of you could ever understand this!" He paused, tears pouring out of his eyes, and then looked at Jennifer and said, "But she understands. I will love her forever and make sure that no one ever hurts her." He stopped crying, turned back to the class, and said, "I will consider letting her come to class. Don't worry about her; there is no one she could be any safer with." Erik moved gracefully to the back of the classroom and activated a trap-door, disappearing while still holding Jennifer.

* * *

The class could feel the moment when the phantom's influence stopped. They all felt as if they had to do something, but their memory of the past few minutes was slightly hazy. Some people helped unpin Matt from the floor, and others tried to find the trap-door. Dania commented, "Now we know why Jennifer is so easily controlled by the phantom." Everyone agreed, and Greg said, "If he could control all of us at once, it would be effortless for him to control Jennifer." They looked at the clock and realized that it was 5 p.m., so they should go home for the weekend. 


	18. Rendezvous

It was 7 p.m., and Mr. Bourbeau was approaching his rendezvous point, this time next to the entrance to the labyrinth, built three years before, that no one suspected existed underneath the school. Mr. Bourbeau reflected on the strange masked man with the voice that no one could refuse. For the past year Mr. Bourbeau had been in contact with the eccentric man, selling his architectural designs and musical scores and buying what he needed for him. The architectural plans and songs made large profits, and the man soon became very rich, if he wasn't wealthy already.

The man had usually paid Mr. Bourbeau $5,000 after every delivery, but Mr. Bourbeau suspected this meeting to be very different. The man had not asked for the usual odds and ends, but for a limousine, a jet plane, a driver's and pilot's license to the name of "Erik Fantome", and two passports, as well as a lot more food than normal. He usually only asked for Russian tea and enough food to just barely keep one alive. Mr. Bourbeau was interrupted from his thoughts when the man appeared from the shadows. Mr. Bourbeau handed him the folder that contained the keys to the limo and the jet and the documents, and Mr. Bourbeau received an envelope containing his pay: $25,000. When Mr. Bourbeau looked up again, the man was gone.

* * *

On Sunday night, many people in the class went to the movie theater. In fact, almost the entire class was there, except for Dr. Evans, who never really went to movies, and a few other students. After the residual trance had worn off, which took a while, they had reported what had happened to Jennifer, but no trace could be found of her. The police were very incredulous about the description of her captor. They said that a man of that description would be rather hard to miss, but that they would search for Jennifer nonetheless, because her family had already reported her missing. So the whole class was shocked when, after the movie, Thomas yelled, "Hey! It's Jennifer!" Indeed, the class thought that they saw Jennifer for a moment, being escorted into a limousine by the phantom. They yelled to her, but the phantom whispered something to her and she nodded to him and ignored the class. Then the phantom got in the limousine and sped off. 


	19. Chaos at the School

Right before class would begin on Monday, everyone was waiting to know if the phantom had decided to let Jennifer come to class. They finally heard the phantom's voice saying, "If I let you go, can I trust you to return to me afterwards?"

They heard Jennifer say in response, "If you don't kill anyone while I'm gone."

The phantom answered, "I don't intend to kill anyone."

Jennifer said, "And I don't intend to leave you."

For a moment there was silence, and then the class saw Jennifer appear through the trap-door in the back of the room. The whole class surrounded her and inundated her with questions such as "Are you okay?", "What did he do to you?", and "Why did he take you to the movie theater?" After a moment Jennifer answered, "I'm fine, and my husband didn't 'do' anything to me. We went to the movies because we both wanted to go out somewhere." Then the bell rang, and everyone took their seats.

Right before lunch would start, the whole school went into a general panic. A body had been found in one of the hallways, strangled. The class was about to leave to a safe area, when the phantom's voice was heard. He said masterfully, "Jennifer, come to me." Jennifer just said, "Erik, did you kill him?" The class tried to coax Jennifer into leaving quickly, but Jennifer was determined to hear his answer. He finally responded sadly, "Yes, but I tried not to. I tried! I tried very hard!" Jennifer answered, "Erik! I am going to go now. I just need some time to think about this. I still love you, Erik, but I can't stay with you right now!" Erik answered desperately, with a hint of anger in his voice, "Jennifer, you know that I love you, and that I would never want to hurt you! Don't go!" It was too late, though. The class had taken Jennifer out of the room for fear that she would again fall into his power if exposed to his voice for too long. In the process of getting Jennifer out of the room, her wedding ring fell off. The phantom's voice was heard again as they left the room, yelling, "So be it! Now let it be war upon you _all_!"

* * *

When the class got to the heavily guarded room, Jennifer was crying, "I can't leave him, but I can't return to him now! What can I do?" Dr. Evans asked her, "Why can't you leave him?" Jennifer answered, "He loves me, and I love him! I…I could live with him forever, in his kingdom of eternal nighttime…where everything revolves around music!" Kevin asked sardonically, "Why don't you? It sounds like you would like that." Jennifer looked surprised and asked the whole class, "Do you want me to go with him? Be careful what you wish for; if I return to him, I shall never come back here! He will find me, I know it. Oh, I should go back to him right now, before he gets really angry! He could kill you all!" Jennifer looked at her hand and, noticing that the ring was missing, moaned, "Oh! He shall be furious!" Kelly tried to comfort Jennifer by saying, "You're safe now. You can escape from him." Jennifer said, "What do you mean? _There is no escape!_" She said more softly, "Especially when I'm not even sure that I want to escape. When I am only with him I feel so protected, so safe. It is only when we are around other people that I fear him, and not for my own sake." By now the class thought that she was still experiencing the residual effects of the trance. This had affected the class for hours, and they had only been exposed to Erik's power for a few minutes. The whole class thought, "How long will it take for a more than a week's worth of exposure to his influence to wear off, and will the effects be gone before the phantom finds a way to get to her?"

* * *

A few hours later, Erik was brooding and pacing around the rooftops of the school. He moaned, holding her ring in his hand, "I really did try not to kill him. Why won't she understand? Killing is like opium; it is a very hard habit to break, and I never hurt her! I would never hurt her, but doesn't she know how much she hurt me by leaving?" Suddenly, his grief and pain were overcome with a cold fury, and he said, "No, she doesn't know. _But she will learn!_ I am 'le Fantome de l'Opera', and _no one _can escape from me!" He began to contemplate how to get her back to him, when he found the perfect plan in the form of the score of his opera, which he took out of his cloak. It was his life's work: _Don Juan Triumphant!_


	20. Lessons

When class began the next day, the whole school had gone into chaos. The phantom had demanded that the school put on his opera, and that Jennifer plays the role of Aminta in it. The school had almost refused the demand, but Matt had come up with a plan: if Jennifer sings in this opera, then the phantom would come and they could trap him. The school agreed to this plan and gave Matt the role of Don Juan. Brad was cast as Passarino. Now the phantom had sent another letter, this time to the class. It read:

To Brad, Matt, and my dear Jennifer:

As you all know, you have been cast in roles in my opera. Referring to Brad and Matt, I have some doubts about your vocal abilities, and as my opera _must be perfect_, I offer you both lessons from me. As for our star, she should forget her pride and return to me.

Your obedient friend and angel,

O.G.

Neither Matt nor Brad looked eager about taking lessons from the phantom, but Jennifer was absolutely frantic. Jennifer said, "I must go back to him now! He's angry, and this will not end well. Your plan will fail, and he will catch me, so I may as well go back now. I certainly can't betray him, and I don't want to be used as bait in your little revenge scheme!" Kevin asked, "What? Are you backing out?" Matt said angrily, "Our only chance to catch the phantom is to use you as bait! You can't back out!" Jennifer was silent for a moment, with tears streaming down her face, and then said quietly, "I am not backing out. I will perform in his opera, but I fear the outcome will not be happy for everyone."

* * *

The next day, Jennifer, Brad, and Matt received instructions to go to an abandoned classroom for their lesson with the phantom. They did as they were told, and Brad recognized it as the same room that he heard Jennifer talking to the phantom on that one night two months before. There was now a large mirror in one of the corners. As they entered, they heard the phantom's voice say, "Ah, you are here." Jennifer said, "Erik, I…" The phantom interrupted her and spoke in a strangely detached tone, "Be silent, my dear. You are here to practice for my opera. Stand before the mirror and sing your part." She obeyed, and after she sang through her part he said, again in that oddly cold tone, "Your vocals were flawless, just as I taught you, but you need to sing more passionately! Again!" She sang her part many times, until he was satisfied.

When he finally was satisfied that she had sang well enough, he commanded Brad to stand before the mirror and sing his part. After the first time through, the phantom commented that Brad was flat; the second time he said that Brad was sharp. After a few more times, the phantom ordered Matt to sing his part. He did, but the phantom angrily commented on his pitch and rhythm. After many more times, Matt was finally singing well enough, and the phantom said, "Everyone together now, and then you may go." They obeyed, and the phantom said, "You may go now, but come back tomorrow."

After they left the room, Brad asked Jennifer, "Is he always that strict as a teacher?" Jennifer answered, "Yes, but he usually shows a little bit more patience than that." Matt said, "His opera is too hard! How can he expect us to sing this?" Jennifer said, "I think that it's brilliant, but… at the same it is terrifying. As he said in the book, his opera 'burns, and yet is not struck from fire from Heaven.' He also said that 'there is some music that is so terrible that it consumes all those who approach it.' I fear this music."

Brad and Matt now had some idea of have felt in her previous lessons with the phantom. When they stood before that mirror and sang, they felt as if they were instruments being played by a master musician.

* * *

A/N: I would really like a few more reviews so that I can have some more feedback. The next chapter will be the longest one yet, and it will include the performance of Erik's opera. I hope that you are enjoying my story, and please review. 


	21. The Phantom's Opera

A/N: This scene is more movie-based.

* * *

When the day that _Don Juan Triumphant_ was scheduled to be performed arrived, the school was abuzz with gossip, anticipation, and preparations. Everyone who could was planning to attend the "ghost's opera", as it was often referred to. A grand chandelier had just been installed, and the sets and decorations were all completed. The school had arranged for armed guards to be present in order to make Matt's plan to trap the phantom a success.

The guards were filing into the theater and the performers were gathering on the stage fifteen minutes before the show was scheduled to begin. Matt said to the guards, "Tonight we will seal the phantom's fate." The phantom's voice suddenly filled the auditorium, saying in a mocking tone, _"Seal my fate tonight? I hate to have to cut the fun short, but the joke's wearing thin. Let the audience in. Let my opera begin!"_

Most of the opera went well. Matt, Brad, and Jennifer had all improved drastically with the phantom's harsh instruction. Erik's music poignantly, almost painfully, expressed every emotion and desire known to mankind.

When the final scene came, Matt as Don Juan was supposed to disguise himself as Passarino in order to seduce Aminta. Matt as Don Juan sang, _Passarino, faithful friend, once again recite the plan._ Brad as Passarino sang in response, _Your young guest believes I'm you- I, the master; you, the man._ Matt as Don Juan sang, _When you met you wore my cloak; with my scarf you hid your face. She believes she dines with me in her master's borrowed place! Furtively we'll scoff and quaff, stealing what, in truth, is mine. When it's late and modesty starts to mellow with the wine…_ Brad as Passarino interrupted, _You come home! I use your voice- slam the door like crack of doom!_ Matt as Don Juan continued, _I shall say: "Come- hide with me! Where, oh, where? Of course- my room!"_ Brad as Passarino sang, _Poor thing hasn't got a chance!_ Matt as Don Juan sang, handing his cloak, hat, and sword to Brad as Passarino, _Here's my hat, my cloak and sword. Conquest is assured if I do not forget myself and laugh!_ Then he went behind the curtain as instructed by the script.

* * *

As soon as Matt was behind the curtain, a dark figure swooped down on him and knocked him out with a blow to the head. The figure gestured to Mr. Bourbeau, who quickly and efficiently tied Matt to a chair. They nodded to each other, and Jennifer's voice was heard in the role of Aminta, singing as she walked onto the stage: _No thoughts within her head but thoughts of joy! No dreams within her heart but dreams of love!_ Then the figure heard the cue from Brad as Passarino, _Master?_ The figure stepped out from behind the curtain, shrouded within his cloak, and answered, _Passarino, go away, for the trap is set and waits for its prey.

* * *

_

As soon as Don Juan came out from behind the curtain, the whole audience realized that this was not Matt, if not by the significant height difference than by the sound of his voice, which the class instantly recognized as the phantom's. As he approached Jennifer he sang: _You have come here in pursuit of your deepest urge, in pursuit of that wish which till now has been silent, silent…I have brought you, that our passions may fuse and merge- in your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me. Now you are here with me, no second thoughts, you've decided, decided…_He began to circle Jennifer, like a hawk stalking its prey, as he sang the next lines: _Past the point of no return- no backward glances: the games we've played till now are at an end. Past all thought of "if" or "when"- no use resisting: abandon thought and let the dream descend!_

Suddenly, he darted at Jennifer and began to caress her neck and shoulders, as he asked: _What raging fire shall flood the soul? What rich desire unlocks its door? What sweet seduction lies before us?_ He planted kisses down her arm, which was bare because of the costume. He continued: _Past the point of no return- the final threshold- what warm unspoken secrets will we learn, beyond the point of no return?_ They separated, and Jennifer turned away as she sang the next part tentatively: _You have brought me to that moment where words run dry, to that moment where speech disappears into silence, silence… I have come here hardly knowing the reason why…In my mind I've already imagined our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent- _She turned to face him as she sang the next lines:_ And now I am here with you, no second thoughts, I've decided, decided…_

Her voice was more confident now, and she even gave a barely noticeable coquettish smile. Was she merely acting? She sang the next lines as they both moved towards the two separate spiral staircases: _Past the point of no return- no going back now: our passion-play has now, at last, begun. Past all thought of right or wrong- one final question: how long should we two wait before we're one?_ They began to ascend their respective stairways, as Jennifer sang: _When will the blood begin to race, the sleeping bud burst into bloom? When will the flames at last consume us?_

When they met in the middle of the bridge that connected the two staircases, Erik twirled Jennifer around so that her back was facing him, put his hands on her hips and slowly moved them upwards, Jennifer moved the cowl of his cloak to reveal his mask, which she began to caress, and their voices joined together in a powerful duet: _Past the point of no return, the final threshold- the bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn…_They turned to face each other, the phantom holding her hands in his, as they sang more softly: _We've passed the point of no return._

They kissed, and this kiss was considerably longer and more passionate than their first kiss. When the kiss ended, they both looked content and surprised. Erik then went down on his knees before her and sang, completely changing the tone, _Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Lead me, save me from my solitude._ He pulled a plain golden ring out of his cloak and handed it to Jennifer. She put it on her finger.

Brad had come back to the audience, and whispered in surprise, "None of this is in the script." Kevin suddenly realized that his brother could be dead behind the curtain, and signaled to the guards to prepare to fire. Erik continued singing, very blissfully and with tears in his eyes, _Say you want me with you here, beside you. Anywhere you go let me go, too- Jennifer, that's all I ask of-_ He was interrupted by a poorly aimed gunshot, which, instead of hitting its intended target, ricocheted off the wall and hitJennifer on the foot. She instantly collapsed onto Erik, who lifted her into his arms as he stood up and then wrapped his cloak around himself and Jennifer. All of a sudden, the fires on the stage, all of the stage lights, and the lights of the chandelier turned off at once, plunging the auditorium into total darkness, except for two yellow orbs blazing in the darkness and moving upwards.

When the lights came back on, only the lights of the chandelier were functioning. Everyone looked up at the chandelier to see the phantom, supporting Jennifer, who had fainted from being shot, with one arm and jumping nimbly from one cord of the chandelier to the next, cutting each one with a dagger. The audience was dumbstruck by this sight, but the phantom yelled, "Go!" before he began to cut the final cord of the chandelier, and the all of the audience were out of the path of the chandelier before it fell, plunging the auditorium into darkness once more.


	22. Down the Trap Door

Everyone was safe and accounted for after the auditorium was evacuated (except, of course, Jennifer), but the auditorium went up in a blaze and the damage to the school would take millions of dollars to repair. About an hour after the auditorium started burning, the class decided to have a meeting in the classroom without Dr. Evans, and when they got there they found Matt bound to a chair. He asked what had happened, and they told him how the phantom had taken Matt's place on stage, how Jennifer had been shot, and how the chandelier had fallen while they untied him. Rene said, "Maybe we can find them if we look for that trap-door." The class began searching, and after about half of an hour, it was finally found by Vincent. Most of the class was preparing to go, when Kelly said, "I don't think this is a very good idea. This isn't one of the stories where you'll come back to life if you die. This is real life, and death is permanent. There are probably all sorts of traps down there, and any of you could die." Tiffany said, "I agree. There must be a safer way to rescue Jennifer." Katrina, Kelsey, and Kirsten also concurred, but the rest of the class was searching for anything they could use to arm themselves. Victoria, remembering the movie, reminded them to keep their hands at the level of their eyes, to prevent the Punjab lasso from strangling them. The class, with the exception of Kelly, Katrina, Tiffany, Kirsten, and Kelsey, descended through the trap-door.

Right after everyone left, the Story Seeker began to make weird beeping noises and declared, "More rules have come in." It began to print the rules, and Kirsten W read them aloud:

**Any character brought to this room by means of a kiss with or marriage to a member of this class will be sent to each story that the class goes to with the one that they kissed or married. Also, that character will be brought into this class as they were when they were kissed or married.**

**If someone is not in the story that they were born/made in, then they will not grow older and cannot die of old age.**

**No matter how long you spend in a story, three hours will have passed in your own world.**

Kelly asked, "Does that mean that the phantom will not age anymore?"


	23. Notes in Red Ink

After several hours, the class finally reached the underground lair of the phantom. It had a very otherworldly aura. The class had overcome many obstacles in order to reach the lair, including several ropes popping out of the ceiling in order to strangle them, numerous trap-doors that almost made them fall, and even a lake, and many of them had almost perished from the traps. Now that they had finally reached it, they realized that the phantom was not here, and neither was Jennifer. Rene pointed out how it looked like all the furniture and items had been removed from the place, and Shannon noticed an envelope, addressed in red ink to the class. She opened it and read aloud:

To the 4th period class:

It is rather annoying that, as I predicted, you are trespassing in my domain. However, I applaud you for making it past my traps alive. I am well aware that each of you has your own reasons for coming here. Some of you are searching for Jennifer, thinking that she is not safe with me, that I am a villain who has taken her free will from her. To you, I can say that she could have no better guardian than me and that she is staying with me by her own choice. Others amongst you seek revenge. To you, I advise that you continue your foolish quest at your own peril. To all of you, I will send funds to repair the damage to your auditorium soon and would like you to know that, as you are reading this note, I have already left the country with Jennifer. There is no point in searching for her.

Your obedient friend,

O.G.

Shannon further examined the envelope and realized that there was another letter inside of it. It was still in red ink, but the handwriting was different. Although still nearly illegible, this handwriting was neater than the phantom's, and Shannon recognized it as Jennifer's. The note read:

My friends,

I am sorry for the trouble that I have caused. I want you all to know that I am perfectly safe with Erik, and I want to be with him. You probably all think that I am mad, but I am not insane; I am just in love. This is the only way that our story can be a happy ending for nearly everyone involved. I don't expect to see any of you soon, so I hope that you all can be happy.

Farewell,

Madame Fantome

* * *

Many hours later, the class finally arrived back at the classroom. It was very difficult to navigate the labyrinth of tunnels which they now knew existed under their school. When they finally reached the classroom, Dr. Evans was there, as well as Katrina, Kelly, Kirsten W, Kelsey, and Tiffany. They asked, "You did not find them?" The rest of the class nodded in despair, and handed the notes to Dr. Evans. Kirsten W said, "We think that we have found a way to find Jennifer." Tiffany explained the new rules given by the Story Seeker, and Kelsey said, "If we go into another story, Jennifer and the phantom will be there." The class agreed, and Dr. Evans set up the Story Seeker. Brad noticed something and went over to the Story Seeker. "This has been tampered with," he said. Brad determined that it would not affect their journey, so they prepared to leave. Dr. Evans told them to focus on "Romeo and Juliet", and the blinding white light surrounded them once more. 


	24. Nightmares, Lullabies, and Verona

A/N: At this point in time, I have nearly 50 pages of this story typed up on Word, so I should be able to update quickly for a while. Please read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

On an island somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, Erik was composing a lullaby. He had landed the plane smoothly an hour or so before, and had only set up an area where Jennifer could sleep. He had placed a round bed in the center of a circular area partitioned by black gossamer curtains, and had moved Jennifer directly onto the bed from the airplane, not wanting to wake her.

Suddenly, he heard Jennifer scream. He ran to see what was wrong, and saw Jennifer sitting up, obviously very afraid. He asked, "What's wrong, my dear?" Jennifer answered, "Erik, I had a nightmare. Would…would you sing me to sleep and protect me from the nightmares?" Erik smiled and said, "Of course." He lifted her into his arms and sang his new berceuse, and noticed a contented smile on her face as she fell asleep. He cradled her in his arms and was happy.

* * *

When the class opened their eyes, the scenery around them was incredibly different. It was dusk, and the architecture and scenery all suggested that they were in Verona, Italy as it was when the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet occurred. Nearby, they saw twoyellow orbs blazing in the dim light. Kevin said, "It's the phantom."

Indeed, the phantom was sitting on a bench in a large courtyard with Jennifer wrapped in his embrace. The class approached him and realized that Jennifer was not awake; the class could not tell whether or not she was unconscious or simply asleep. She was now only wearing a shift. Matt yelled, "What did you do to her?" The phantom looked startled by this question, but answered, "If I had 'done' anything to her, that would be my business, not any of yours, as she is _my_ wife. However, I haven't 'done' anything to her, and, as I have already told you many times before, I would never harm her." Chris D said, "Then how do you explain why you're holding her like that, you pervert!" Erik said angrily, "We're married! There's nothing wrong with me holding her like this, and I don't answer to any of you!"

Then Jennifer began to stir. Her eyes opened, and she smiled when she saw Erik and thanked him. He smiled and looked down at her face, saying, "It's my pleasure. How do you feel?" Jennifer answered, "I'm a little cold…wait, my foot doesn't hurt anymore!" Erik looked shocked and removed the bandage on her foot, realizing that there was no longer a wound there. He said, "My dear, I have heard that the Story Seeker can sometimes heal wounds, at least temporarily, as well as converting whatever money you have on you into the currency of the place you visit." The phantom took a golden coin out of his cloak and flipped it once, then returned it to its spot in his cloak. He stood up slowly, still holding Jennifer, and placed her on her feet. Erik wrapped one arm around her waist and sheltered her from the cold with his cloak as they walked away.

Off in the distance, the class saw a crowd of people, and noticed that three of them must be Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio. The class heard and recognized Mercutio's story about Queen Mab, and realized that they had come in at the scene right before the party. Arianne muttered, "He's hot." The class then decided to go to the party.


	25. Masquerade

Erik and Jennifer walked undisturbed to a large home that happened to be nearby. They found out that this was the house of the Capulets, and Erik asked them about renting a room. At first they were hesitant because of his mask, but Erik showed them some of his money and they agreed to give him a room. While they were going to the room, Erik and Jennifer heard someone talking excitedly about the party. Erik asked Jennifer, "Would you like to go, my dear?" Jennifer thought, "Erik probably wouldn't usually want to go out to a party, but I guess at this type of party many people would be wearing masks, not just him."

Jennifer answered, "Yes, Erik" and smiled. Erik nodded and motioned for her to sit in front of the mirror, and she did so. He asked, "May I brush your hair?" Jennifer nodded her consent, even though she did not usually comb her hair at all. Erik picked up a hairbrush from off of the dresser and brushed her shoulder-length dark-brown hair, untangling all of the knots and thoroughly enjoying himself.

They talked for a while, and when Erik finally stopped brushing her hair, it was no longer unkempt as it usually was, but even could have been described as silky. Then Erik found a beautiful dress for Jennifer to wear to the party, and got out his costume that he hadn't worn since the latest Bal Masque at the Paris Opera House.

* * *

At the house of the Capulets, everyone at the party was gossiping about the mysterious masked man who had rented at room at the Capulets' house and the quiet girl with the rather pale complexion whom he said was his wife, and wondering if they would be making an appearance. A while into the party, many maskers came in. Typically maskers were young men, but it seemed that there were many female maskers this time. 

The class had found masks and had arrived at the party around the same time as Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio arrived. The party went on for a while pretty much as expected. Arianne had found and kissed Romeo, and several other students had found people to dance with. When Romeo had just noticed Juliet, the attention of the students was distracted by the appearance of the phantom and Jennifer. The phantom was dressed all in crimson, with a grotesque mask like a skull and gold lettering at the bottom of his scarlet cape, which read: "I am the Red Death passing through. Do not touch me." Jennifer was wearing a beautiful dress, also crimson in hue, and she walked arm in arm with Erik. Mercutio asked mockingly, "Who is the lady who walks so close to Death and clings to his arm with no fear? Has Death claimed so young a girl to be his paramour?" Erik answered, "She is not Death's paramour, but Death's wife." Mercutio tried to test the warning not to touch the Red Death, but Erik had grasped his wrist before he could touch him. Erik squeezed Mercutio's wrist very hard, until he saw the glance from Jennifer pleading him to stop. He released Mercutio, who collapsed to his knees, clutching his wrist, which was bleeding. Erik led Jennifer away from there, and Mercutio muttered, "His hands are cold as Death, and his grasp is as strong." His friends took care of his wrist, and then he went away to rest for a while.

At the same time as this event occurred, Juliet and Romeo had met and kissed, and Tybalt had argued with Lord Capulet over Romeo's presence. Tybalt's anger was barely restrained. A few minutes later, Erik and Jennifer were seen dancing; Jennifer seemed awkward and uncertain, and Erik was patiently and gracefully leading her. When the party was over, everyone left and the class saw Romeo climb over the wall and Mercutio, who had returned, Benvolio, and their friends calling for Romeo to come. The class decided to find a place to stay, and eventually they found a spot where they could all sleep.

Erik asked Jennifer if she would like to go for a walk, and she nodded. He led her out into the Capulet's courtyard. They watched Juliet come out onto her balcony and speak of her love for Romeo, not knowing that he was hiding nearby, listening. They saw her surprised expression when she found out that Romeo was listening. Then Erik said softly to Jennifer, "We need to talk, my dear." Jennifer nodded, and he continued, "You probably know what I desired during my opera. I thought it was rather obvious. I want you to know…that I would not demand that of you. I can be patient and wait until you're ready for that. I just want…to be near you. I want to kiss you, teach you, sing you to sleep, and hold you as you sleep, if that's not too much to ask of you." Jennifer hugged him and said, "No, that's not too much to ask, Erik." They walked through the courtyard, hand in hand, discussing life in general and their hopes and dreams, for about an hour. Then Jennifer began to look tired, so Erik led them back to their room.

Erik found a shift for her to change into, and left the room long enough for her to change. He took off his cape and jacket and reentered the room after knocking. Jennifer yawned, and Erik scooped her into his arms. Jennifer said softly, "Erik, you shouldn't have to wear a mask." Erik looked puzzled and said, "What do you mean?" Jennifer answered, while resting her head against his chest, "I mean that…your mask looks uncomfortable, and…if you wanted to, you could take it off, and…it wouldn't make a difference to me." Erik hesitated for a moment before answering, "You would not fear me and run away?" Jennifer looked taken aback at this question and said, "Erik, I'm not going to run away!" Erik said, "All right, I will take off the mask, but I don't want you to be afraid at all. Put your arms around my neck so that I can take the mask off." Jennifer complied, and Erik removed his mask. For a moment Erik looked at Jennifer as if afraid that she would try to run away, but then Jennifer kissed his deformed cheek and said, "I love you, Erik." Erik smiled and said, "I love you, Jennifer. Shall I sing you to sleep now?" She nodded, so Erik sang _The Music of the Night_, and she fell asleep quickly and looked tranquil and content. After he finished singing, he lay down on the bed, still holding Jennifer, and he slept peacefully on a bed for the first time in a long while.


	26. An Accusation and a Mob

A/N: I would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who reviewed. Thank you! I would like to answer some of the questions raised. Jennifer is partially molded after Leroux Christine and partially molded after me. I mixed lyrics from the movie with lyrics from the musical. I chose which lyrics to use based on which seemed to fit the story better, and tweaked some of the words so that they made more sense in the context (i.e. Jennifer instead of Christine). Please read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

The next morning, when Jennifer woke up, Erik seemed to be asleep, so she kissed him softly on the forehead and snuggled closer to him. Erik smiled and held on to her, only pretending to be asleep, and they stayed like that for a while, until Erik had sensed that someone was watching them. They looked out the window, and saw Matt in a distant tree with binoculars, (never mind how he got them!) staring at them through their window. When Matt realized that he had been seen, he began to climb down the tree. Erik sighed and got a dress for Jennifer to wear. Handing it to her, he said, "Here, change into this. I will leave for a few minutes and get ready as well. I have someidea of where he is going." He left the room, and Jennifer changed into the beautiful dress that Erik had handed her, which was made of silk and emerald in color.

A few minutes later, Erik came in, wearing a fresh suit, with his mask on his face again. He placed a soft kiss on her hand and said sincerely, "You look divine, my dear." She was surprised by his compliment, blushed, and smiled at him. He said, "Now, we must hurry in order to get there in time…" Jennifer asked, "Where are we going?" Erik smiled and said, "I believe that that boy is going to see the prince."

* * *

When Matt had come back to the class, they asked him to tell them what they had seen. Matt lied, "I saw him raping her. We must rescue Jennifer and stop the phantom!" Shannon asked, "Why should we believe you?" Matt answered, "Why would I lie about something this serious? Jennifer is your friend. You don't want to leave her at the mercy of a monster, do you? We should get the law here to help us." Katrina pointed out, "Even if you're telling the truth and the authorities believe you, they probably won't do anything about it, because they're married and this is not the 21st century. It's probably not even illegal in this time." Kelly said, "But if he is telling the truth, then we have to at least try to help her." The class decided to go tell the prince about what Matt had seen. When they got there, the prince heard what Matt said and then answered, "There is no evidence against this phantom you speak of." Then the phantom entered hand in hand with Jennifer, who was wearing a beautiful green silken gown. The sight of the phantom made Matt angry and deepened his grudge. The phantom asked, "What has happened that would require evidence against me?" Matt yelled, "You raped her, you perverted monster!"

The phantom was livid at this remark and answered, "Do you really believe that I would violate my wife like that? I have told you all countless times that I will never harm her, but you never seem to understand that. I have done nothing wrong." His voice weakened, and he looked even angrier, as he said, "I am not like Javert." The class asked, "Who's Javert?" The phantom responded, "Javert was the vile man who put me in a cage… and tried…to rape me…when I was twelve…the first man I killed." Jennifer said, "Erik has never hurt me, and he would never do that to me!"

Matt said to the prince, "You see! She is under his spell, and you will all be, too, if you listen to him! He is a murderer, truly a monster! Make him take off his mask, and you will have all the evidence you need." The Prince answered, "There is no evidence that he has done any of the things that you have accused him of. I have no reason to make him take off his mask."

By now, a crowd was gathering around them. Matt muttered, "Then I will take it off myself!" He lunged at the phantom, who caught him around the neck but could not stop him from taking off the mask. This launched the phantom into an unstoppable fury. The crowd became a mob on sight of the phantom's face with one goal: to kill the phantom. They surrounded him and started attacking him; he broke Matt's neck, killing him instantly, and fatally injured many citizens before a blow to the head briefly knocked him out. Meanwhile, Jennifer had entered the fray and was trying her best to defend her unconscious husband, but the mob, insane, attacked her, too, while trying to kill the phantom. Shannon jumped into the melee and helped protect her friend, who she knew was not any good at fighting. Shannon protected Jennifer for a few more minutes until the phantom woke up and, seeing his wife in peril, forgot his rage and threw his cape around Jennifer, Shannon and himself and vanished.

* * *

When Shannon, Jennifer, and Erik reappeared, they were in a field just outside of Verona. Erik said to Shannon, "Thank you for protecting my wife. Her injuries would have been much worse otherwise. As they are now, I can fix them up fairly quickly." Shannon said, "Of course. She's my friend." She saw Erik pick up an unconscious and injured Jennifer, and noticed that the phantom looked hurt as well, and so did she. The phantom said, "Would you come with us? It would probably still be dangerous back there." Shannon nodded, and only then realized that he still didn't have his mask on. Shannon found it pathetic, yet very predictable, that the people would attack him just because they saw his face, and was not at all fazed by the sight of it. Erik seemed to tell what she was thinking and thanked her.

He walked over to a place where some horses were grazing. The horses were not afraid of him, but approached him and allowed him to stroke their manes with the hand he wasn't using to support Jennifer. Jennifer began to stir, and Erik helped her stand on her own. All three of them were in some pain, and Erik said, "Hello, my dear. Do you think that you couldride on this horse?" Jennifer nodded, and Erik helped her sit on the horse. Shannon asked, "Where are we going?" Erik answered, "Mantua. We could find some place to stay there until your class decides to leave this story." Shannon nodded and mounted the horse. Erik fed each horse an apple and mounted a different horse, then began to lead all three horses towards Mantua.


	27. Treating Injuries and Nursing Grudges

A/N: I would like to amend theauthor note from last chapter. Jennifer is mostlybased on me, partially based on LerouxChristine, and partially made up. Also, I feellikethe chapters are getting longer on average. I am tryingto make them longer. Please read, review, andenjoy!

* * *

The class had gathered around Matt's lifeless body. Some people were crying, while others thought that he had invited death by taking off the mask. Someone pointed out that, as he died in a story rather than in real life, he would be revived as soon as they leave.

A few students began to try to figure out if there was any truth in Matt's allegation. Most of the class was very worried about Jennifer. Brad said, "The phantom certainly would be capable of hurting her, although he always claims that he never would. He's really strong, though, so it would be no challenge to him. Of course, if he put her in enough of a trance, he wouldn't need force, and it would still be easy for him." Kelsey said, "Do you think he would do that?" Kevin, furious about his twin's death and also nursing a grudge against the phantom,said, "We saw his opera! Besides, he said himself that laws don't apply to him!" Kelly said, "None of you saw him at their wedding, though. He seemed reverent, even worshipful, towards her. Also, she did say that he didn't do anything to her. I'm still worried about her, though." Katrina said sadly, "We'll probably never truly know whether he raped her or not."

* * *

When Erik, Shannon and Jennifer arrived at Mantua, Erik led them directly to a certain building. They saw a man, and recognized him to be Mr. Bourbeau!Erik asked him, "You brought my stuff here as instructed, right?" Mr. Bourbeau nodded. Erik said, "There has been a slight change of plans. Two rooms will be needed." Mr. Bourbeau nodded and went to book another room. Jennifer asked Erik softly, looking bewildered, "How didmy Biology teacherget here?" Erik answered, "I altered the Story Seeker so that he could come here with us, my dear. The same alteration allowed all of my belongings in my story to be transferred to your story."

Erik changed the subject, saying, "We need to find a place to put these horses." After a while, they found a stable for the horses to rest in. Erik paid the owners of the stable and gave each horse another apple from his cloak before turning back to Shannon and Jennifer. He offered Jennifer his hand, which was no longer covered by a glove because the glove had fallen off during the battle, and she accepted it without hesitation, although she still shivered slightly. Erik led them to a pleasant but small building and showed Shannon to her room, saying, "You may stay here. If you need any help, just let us know." Shannon examined the cozy room and then bandaged her injuries, which, luckily, were minor.

Meanwhile, Erik was leading Jennifer to their room, holding her hand and smiling faintly. He had her sit down on a sofa and said, "I had better tend to your injuries." He cleaned and bandaged her wounds and gave her a new dress to change into. He left while she changed, and when he came back she noticed that his shirt was torn and that he was bleeding. She pointed this out to him, and he said, "It's probably nothing serious. I'll take care of it later." Jennifer said softly, "Erik, please, let me help." Erik sighed and said, "All right. I'll let you clean the wound." He took off his suit-jacket and shirt, and she saw his emaciated and scarred chest. He taught her how to clean and bandage the wound, and she followed his instructions to the letter. After he changed into a fresh shirt and suit-jacket, he offered her a lesson in how to use the Punjab lasso in case she has a need to defend herself again, and she accepted.

* * *

The class had been wandering around Verona discussing what had happened until they found the place where Tybalt and Mercutio were now fighting with swords. Everything happened just as they had read it; Mercutio was slain by Tybalt and Romeo, who didn't want to fight Tybalt before, killed Tybalt to avenge his friend. The class now knew what part of the story they were in, and knew that Romeo and Juliet had just wed in secret. Romeo sped away, and the class again began to wonder where Jennifer and Shannon were. 


	28. Dreams

Around 6 o'clock that evening, Shannon went to see what Jennifer was up to. Shannon located the room where Jennifer and Erik were staying and entered, as the door was ajar. The scene she viewed when she walked in was rather amusing. The noose of the Punjab lasso was around a tall candleholder, and the end of the rope was in Jennifer's hand. Erik was standing behind her, guiding her movements and directing her as to how to control the rope. On the floor were dozens of broken candleholders.

Shannon said, "Good evening." Jennifer responded in kind and Erik said, "Bonsoir. Are either of you hungry?" Both Shannon and Jennifer nodded, and Erik said that he would go to get food for them. He left, locking the door, and Shannon started talking to Jennifer. Shannon asked, "He didn't really hurt you at all, did he?" Jennifer answered, "No, he didn't hurt me! Erik would never hurt me." Shannon asked, "You left the country with him?" Jennifer answered, "Yes. We have a place where no one can get to us and Erik won't have to kill anymore." Shannon asked, "Are you sure that you want to stay with him forever, and that you are safe?" Jennifer responded, "Yes. I've never felt safer than I feel when I with only him. It's only when we're with other people that I feel that I'm in danger." Shannon asked, "How are you going to get your diploma and become a scientist, though? That was important to you. Are you going to leave your dreams behind you?" Jennifer looked surprised at this question and seemed puzzled, saying only, "I don't know."

Suddenly, Shannon noticed that Erik was in the room again, and Erik greeted them when he noticed that they knew he was there. He set out food for them on a table, and they began to eat it. Erik said, in a tone that held hints of both sadness and anger, "My dear, I heard what you were talking about, and you don't need a diploma. I can teach you everything that you ever want to learn and build a world of your dreams around you… but I don't want you to be in contact with the outside world at all, except under my guidance. I…I don't want to have to share you with the world. When the world sees you, they will want to take you away from Erik, and Erik can't let that happen." Jennifer asked timidly, "Is there any way that I can get a diploma without leaving our island? Will I…will I ever see my family again?" After she asked this, she began to cry, and Erik noticed this and tried to comfort her. He swooped her into his arms and said gently, "Don't cry. It just…hadn't occurred to me that you would miss your family. Of course I will let you contact them from time to time, and perhaps someday, after our house…our wonderful house, full of whatever wonders you would like me to build…is built, maybe they could visit our island. As for your education, if a diploma matters that much to you I can contact a school somewhere in the world that will accept my terms. I can teach you myself, and contact them about your progress, and they will give you a diploma. Just trust me and let me keep you…save me from loneliness…and I will take care of you. You needn't worry about anything. Would you like me to sing you to sleep now?"

Jennifer nodded, and Erik sang a lullaby that made her fall asleep after a few minutes with a very peaceful countenance. Erik gently placed her on the bed and pulled a blanket over her. He then turned to Shannon and asked, "Do you want to go back to your room now?" Shannon asked, "You aren't going to do anything to her, are you?" Erik said, annoyed, "Again, I am not going to do anything to her, so you can leave now." Shannon did as he said, and Erik moved a chair next to the bed, sat on it, and began to gently stroke Jennifer's hair.

* * *

Meanwhile, the class was discussing what their next move should be. Many students thought that they should probably go home before anything else happens. Tiffany said, "We don't know where Shannon is, Matt is dead, and who knows what else could happen?" The class decided that they may as well leave so that Matt can be revived, Shannon can be found, and they can try to figure out where Jennifer is.

* * *

When they were back in the classroom, it was late. Romeo had also appeared back in the classroom, dressed in the attire he was wearing to the party, and was questioning where he was and how he had arrived there. Arianne tried to explain what had happened to him, and everyone decided to leave, except for a few students who stayed behind, plotting what they could do with the Story Seeker. Unknown to the rest of the class, Kevin, Matt (who complained of a sore neck but was nevertheless still pursuing his grudge), Katelyn, Greg, and Chris Danna had stayed in the classroom. They decided that they would use the Story Seeker to go into Star Wars after school next Monday. 


	29. A Trip to London and Star Wars!

When Jennifer woke up, she was surprised to find herself in Erik's arms on the island. Erik looked startled as well, but said, "It seems that someone in your class tried to leave the story and was successful, my dear. How do you feel?" Jennifer answered, "My foot hurts again, and I'm a bit hungry." Erik nodded his head and gave her an apple out of his cloak. She ate it shyly and, after she had finished eating it, Erik asked, "Would you like to help make the plans for our home?" Jennifer nodded and they set straight to work making the plans for their new home.

A few hours later, they had completed the plans. The house would have a greenhouse, a swimming pool, a very large music room, a library, a laboratory, and numerous other rooms. The outer walls would be covered in solar panels so that they could use the power of the sun, and there would only be windows in the greenhouse, so that the sunlight wouldn't annoy Erik. The entire house, excluding the greenhouse, would be lit by candlelight. They found a spring which they decided they could use for water, and also planned to build a very small desalination machine. Additionally, the house would contain many trap-doors and secret passageways that only Erik would know how to navigate entirely, which would create an easy, fun, and convenient system to get to a distant room and could serve other purposes as well.

They both were satisfied with the plans, (although Erik planned to build an ingenious security system as well) so Erik carried Jennifer back to the plane, where all the instruments and books were, and began her lessons.

* * *

The next Sunday morning, still inside the plane, Erik asked Jennifer if she would like to go on a short trip. The construction workers had arrived the evening before and had already started building the new house. Jennifer agreed and asked where he was planning to go. He answered, "I have passports to many different countries. Where would you like to go?" Jennifer's eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face as she asked, "Can we go to London?" Erik smiled back at her and nodded, adding that they would leave in an hour. Jennifer went into a separate compartment of the plane in order to change into a fresh dress, and Erik decided not to wear a mask on this trip, as an experiment to see if people had developed any more tolerance, as well as for the practical reason that a mask is rather conspicuous. Instead, he put a false nose over the hole where his nose should have formed and tilted his fedora in a way that concealed his face as much as possible. He also found some sunglasses, which would serve both the purpose of hiding the two pits of his eyes and the purpose of protecting his eyes from the sun, which he was not used to being exposed to. 

They departed for London as scheduled and arrived in a couple of hours. Erik carried Jennifer throughout London and they explored the city freely (some people stared at Erik, though) and Erik taught her a bit about the architecture. After they stopped for lunch (Jennifer had cottage pie, Erik had nothing), they went to a gift shop and bought three postcards. Jennifer sent one to her family and one to the class, to let them know that she was all right, and Erik sent one to the school, attached to an envelope. Erik paid extra money so that it would be shipped overnight, and then they left for their island.

* * *

When the class got back on Monday, they found a postcard from Jennifer waiting for them. It was apparently from London, but what was she doing in England? Dr. Evans then received an e-mail, stating that the phantom had sent millions of dollars to the school, more than enough to cover the damage he had caused to the auditorium. The e-mail also stated that agents were being sent to London in order to search for Jennifer and capture Erik.

* * *

After school, Kevin, Matt, Katelyn, Chris D, and Greg found the Story Seeker and concentrated on Star Wars, but before they left the Story Seeker printed additional rules. The students read them to themselves: 

**9. In some stories, each of you will have a character, based on yourself in this reality but not necessarily identical to you, who you will become when you enter this story. You will remember the memories that you have as well as some of the memories of these characters.**

**10. There is a chance that people who you know in this story will appear as characters in a story you enter. Their relationship to your character in the story you enter is related to your relationship with them in this story.**

**11. If you were injured in your own story, it is probable but not certain that your injury will be healed in any story that you enter for the duration of your stay in that story. However, the injury will come back when you return to your own story.**

**12. Any items that you are carrying with you will be sent with you into the story. Any money that you are carrying will be replaced with the equivalent currency of the story that you entered while you are in that story and will be returned when you reenter the story that you came from.**

**13. If a character in a story has agreed to serve you, then they will be brought back to this story with you.**

After reading these rules, they left for Star Wars in the now familiar blaze of blinding white light.

* * *

Erik and Jennifer were interrupted from a music lesson by the familiar blinding white light, which made them close their eyes. When their eyes opened, they were in a cabin on a spaceship. Erik was still wearing his usual outfit, including the white porcelain mask, but Jennifer was now donning the robes of the Gray Jedi. They both looked at their sides and noticed that they had lightsabers. A droid's voice came over an intercom and announced that they were approaching a landing pad of Tatooine. Suddenly, noxious fumes began to permeate the air. Jennifer was instantly knocked out, but Erik was affected much slower as he was wearing a mask and didn't have a nose. He quickly found a breath mask and put it over Jennifer's nose to shield her from the poison. Then he found an antidote kit and removed the poison from her system. Just as she was beginning to regain consciousness, they both heard a series of explosions and blacked out.

* * *

Kevin, Matt, Katelyn, Greg, and Chris D opened their eyes to see a landscape covered in ruins and canyons. Remembering the Story Seeker's new rules, they tried to think of their characters' memories. Greg said, "We're on Korriban, the Sith planet." Katelyn said, "That's our location, but what are we doing here?" Matt thought, "Finding an opportunity for revenge" as he saw a few Sith soldiers approaching them. One of them asked, "Are you the new disciples?" The students nodded, reaching another memory, and the soldier who spoke before said, "We have been ordered to escort you to the academy. Follow us." The students followed the soldiers, until they arrived at a blast door in the side of a cliff. They were led to a room which had one section veiled from the rest by thin curtains. They could barely make out a beautiful form behind the curtain. They heard a voice, definitely female, ask their reasons for becoming Sith. 

All of the students except for Matt and Kevin muttered that they didn't know, but Matt and Kevin said, "To get revenge on Erik." The voice sounded angry at the mention of Erik's name and said, "Erik? You don't mean the one called the Angel of Doom, do you?" The twins both nodded, and the form asked, "Is he alive?" Matt and Kevin both nodded again, and the form responded, "Then you will all set to work on a plan to get him here. I want him alive."


	30. Escape from the Hutt

Shannon, Thomas, Chris H, Arianne, and Romeo opened their eyes and found themselves at the bottom of a huge forest with very tall trees. A weird creature unlike any other they had ever seen before attacked them, but it was quickly slain by Shannon and Chris H. Romeo asked, confused, "Where are we?" Arianne said, "Not on Earth, that's for sure."

* * *

Erik and Jennifer awoke to find that their arms were bound to a pole at one edge of a room. A vile, slug-like creature was sitting on a platform in the center of the room, and an assortment of aliens, armored and wielding blaster rifles, were scattered throughout the room. A weird monkey-lizard and a protocol droid were on the platform with the Hutt. The Hutt spoke, but neither Erik nor Jennifer could understand the language he was speaking. One of the aliens, a burly Mandalorian, approached Erik and took off his mask. Erik was enraged, but there was nothing he could do to stop the Mandalorian from removing his mask. All of the aliens began to laugh at him, and the monkey-lizard's shrill laughter filled the room. Erik's voice entered Jennifer's ear. It took a moment for Jennifer to realize that he was using his ventriloquism so that no one else could here him. He said, "You see our lightsabers on the platform? I'll create a distraction, and you find a way to get them so that we can get out of here. Don't talk, but tap on the pole if you understand." She tapped the pole and, a moment later, a loud laughing noise was heard behind a door. All of the aliens turned to look, some running to investigate, and Jennifer used Erik's distraction to try a force power. She used the force to pull the lightsabers to her and to Erik. They both activated their lightsabers, finding that they both had a yellow blade, and cut themselves free. When the aliens realized that Erik and Jennifer were free, they began clumsily shooting at them with their blaster. Some of the shots were barely deflected by Jennifer's lightsaber, and Erik was enraged that they were shooting at her. While Jennifer switched to using the Soresu lightsaber form, which is good at deflecting shots from blasters, Erik went into a fury, gaining much power from the dark side of the force. In a matter of minutes he had slain all of their adversaries. He then turned to Jennifer, who looked very frightened. He snapped out of the Force fury and said gently, approaching her, "What is wrong? I only killed them to protect you." Jennifer calmed down a bit and then hugged him. She said, "It…it was just frightening to see you so angry." Erik kissed the top of her head and said, "I would never direct that anger at you, but I cannot restrain myself when others make me mad. I can never promise not to kill anyone else, but I can promise that I won't kill people for pleasure, and that I will never hurt you." Jennifer looked up at him and said, "I know." They were silent for a moment, until Erik said, "We should go now and find a place to stay." Jennifer nodded and they walked off, hand in hand, into the Tatooine desert. Even under the heat of the twin suns of Tatooine, and even though he was wearing a suit, Erik's hand was still icy to the touch.

A few hours later, they came upon the nearest settlement. Erik realized that he had only had a small amount of his money on his person when he was sent into the story. He pointed this out to Jennifer, and said, "I will need to find a way to get money soon. I have enough money with me to take care of you for a few days, but we don't know how long we are going to be in this story, which, by the way, I will need to know more about. I could easily steal enough money off of the people here when a crowd forms, but, judging by the look on your face, you don't approve of that." Jennifer said, "Erik…" and pointed at a gigantic pinstriped tarp that suddenly and randomly appeared. Erik turned to see it, and was inspired. He whispered his idea to Jennifer and began to work on his new idea.


	31. Carnival on Tatooine

When Drew, Brad, Rene, Kristina, and Kirsten R opened their eyes, they were in a cantina and Drew was playing pazaak with a tough-looking Rodian. Drew lost, and found that he didn't have nearly enough money to pay the wager. The Rodian thug grabbed him by the neck, but Brad, Rene, Kristina, and Kirsten R came to his aid. The Rodian said, "You have a week to pay us the 10,000 credits." He then left the cantina. Rene, Kristina, Kirsten R, and Brad looked strangely at Drew and said angrily, "You bet 10,000 credits?" Drew said, "I didn't know that I did! Will you help me get that much money?" The other students answered that they would try to help him, but that 10,000 credits would be very hard to gather in such a short amount of time. For the rest of the day, they pondered ways to get money, when Rene found a flyer for a new show, which was looking for employees. The group of students decided to head to the show, which was supposed to be held in a giant tent.

When they got to the large tent, covered in red stripes, the first thing they saw was Jennifer standing at the entrance, wearing gray Jedi robes and standing next to a large box with a slit on top. They approached her and she recognized them immediately. She said, "Hello. Have you come to see the show? You're just on time. For you, it will cost 20 credits each." The group found that they had just enough money to get into the show. They put the money into the box and entered the tent. Just as they found their seats, the show began. Erik displayed his amazing skill at legerdemain and conjuring. He made inanimate objects talk and sing using his ventriloquism, and the audience was completely spellbound. Towards the end of the show, he took off his mask and then began to sing beautifully. The faces of the audience showed revulsion at the sight of his face, but no one was unmoved by his voice; everyone had tears in their eyes. After he had finished his song, he vanished, and Jennifer came to the front with the box to ask for donations. The audience gave quite a large sum of money.

Brad, Drew, Rene, Kirsten R, and Kristina approached Jennifer after everyone else had left. Drew said, "We found this flyer. It said you were looking for employees." Jennifer answered, "You'll have to talk to my husband about that." Kristina asked, "Where is he?" The students heard Erik's voice behind them, saying with a smirk, "I'm here. Would you really work for me?" The students turned, startled, as they hadn't seen him come behind them, and Drew said, "Yes. I have a large pazaak debt to pay off in a short amount of time." Erik pondered this for a moment and then said, "If you work for me, I will require unquestioning obedience and complete loyalty. In return, you will receive an unmatchable salary and protection from such debts as you have." He turned to Jennifer, kissed the top of her head, and asked, "How many credits did we make today?" Jennifer kissed his cheek, then thought for a moment and said, "About 75,000."

Erik pulled out 10,000 credits from the box and handed them to Drew, saying, "Go pay off your debt with this. Then you can work in my carnival to repay me." Drew went back to the cantina to pay off his debt, and Erik asked the other students if they wanted jobs, too. They nodded, and Erik pondered what they could do. After a few minutes he said, pointing to Rene, Kristina, and Kirsten R, "You three could collect the money from the audience as they enter and greet the audience. You could also collect the donations." He then said to Brad, "Jennifer told me of a sport that is rather popular in this story called 'pod-racing.' I will fund one of these vehicles, and you can maintain it and race it, and we'll split what you win." Then Drew returned, and Erik said, "You can work as security and help set up the tent." Erik lifted the box with one arm and offered Jennifer his other hand, which was again donning a black glove. She took it, and then Erik said, "Follow me, and I will show you where you can stay." They followed him, and he led them to a group of six tents, all quite smaller than the large tent. He said that they could each have a tent.

The students were pleasantly surprised to find that each tent was furnished with a carpet, a futon, and a small table. A few minutes later, Erik called them and said, "If you are hungry, you could have dinner now." Kristina grabbed her backpack and said, "I've got food." Erik nodded and said, "If anyone doesn't have food, I can provide some." He vanished into his tent and came back out a few minutes later with some sandwiches for them to eat. Then he turned to Jennifer and said, "Come, eat in our tent."

She followed him into the tent, sat down on the futon, and ate her sandwich. He sat down next to her on the futon and said, "I don't want you to talk to them." She looked puzzled and asked, "Why not?" He answered, "I just don't want you to talk to them any more than is necessary." Jennifer nodded, and they hugged. Then Jennifer continued eating her sandwich, and Erik started to boil water in a samovar that was sitting in a corner (in order to make Russian tea). After Erik drank his tea and Jennifer finished her sandwich, Erik said, "I think that it's time for our music lesson." He pulled a beautiful violin and bow from his cloak, which caused Jennifer to ask, confused, "Where did that come from?" Erik smirked, and then laughed, a chilling laugh that caused Jennifer's spine to tingle. He then said wryly, "Did you expect me to carry a grand piano within my cloak?" They both laughed at this, and then started the music lesson.


	32. Investigations, Podracers, & Haunting

Meanwhile, back in the "real" world (in London), the investigators had had very few of their questions answered, and the answers that they had found raised many more questions. The description of the suspect that they heard stated that he wore a mask, but the description given to the investigators by the shopkeeper did not include a mask. The shopkeeper also said that Jennifer was being carried by the suspect and that she looked happy. They searched the shop for any evidence that could be used to get a DNA sample of the suspect, but they only found Jennifer's hairs, not the phantom's. They dusted the shop for fingerprints, but there were no fingerprints there that did not belong to one of the employees. After a while, a note was found in a nearly inaccessible part of the room, written in red ink and addressed to the investigators. It read:

To the "investigators":

I would advise you to stop your search. By continuing your pointless search for Jennifer, who is perfectly safe and does not wish to be found, you will only risk angering me and endangering yourselves. Also, it is likely that you will not find a record of our marriage in your country. If you need proof that Jennifer and I are indeed married, than I would suggest you search the records at the Madeleine under the year 1881.

I remain, gentlemen, your obedient servant,

O.G.

The investigators sent the note to a lab so that they could test for fingerprints and analyze the handwriting and ink and also sent someone to search the records at the Madeleine.

As for the death that had occurred at the school, no evidence had been found to point to anything other than suicide. The only fingerprints on the rope belonged to the victim, and the only conclusion that could be reached was that he had killed himself.

* * *

When Dr. Evans, Katrina, Kelly, Tiffany, Vincent, and Dania opened their eyes, they were in the Jedi enclave on Dantooine. They were apparently meditating, and were in the middle of reciting the Jedi oath when they opened their eyes. They breathed in unison, "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

After they had meditated, they realized that they had lightsabers and wanted to practice with them. Katrina's blade was a cool blue, Kelly's was a light green, Dania had a bright violet blade, Vincent's blade was a dark blue, and Tiffany's blade was orange. After the students had activated their lightsabers, Dr. Evans activated hers, to find that it was silver.

* * *

Dawn was approaching on Tatooine. Jennifer woke up and left the tent to watch the twin suns of Tatooine rise. She whispered, "It's beautiful." The other students had come out of their tents and were likewise awed by the view. Erik came out of his tent, shielding his eyes from the light and muttering about how garish it was, and then offered everyone breakfast. Everyone nodded, and he went into the tent for a few minutes. When he came out, he was carrying several plates full of pancakes. After everyone but Erik had eaten, Erik told them to get to work. He assigned them their tasks and gave Brad directions to the warehouse where he could find the pod-racer. After the students had left, he kissed Jennifer lightly on the forehead and then said, "We have enough time for a lesson before the first show starts." Jennifer nodded, and had a lesson in the Persian language until Erik had to go. Right before he left he said, "Today you should practice your haunting skills, just as I taught you. I know that you like capes, so I made you one; it's sitting on the futon. Also, maybe later you could go to the warehouse and see if Brad needs any help with the pod-racer." Jennifer hugged him, and they both said, "I love you." They kissed tenderly on the lips, and then Erik went into the large tent to begin the show, a large grin partially concealed by his mask.

Still in a daze from the kiss, it took Jennifer a few minutes to realize that she should be haunting now. After she snapped out of it, she entered the tent and found the beautiful black cape that he had made for her and donned it quickly. Then she raced off to practice her haunting skills (hiding in the shadows, sneaking up on people, etc.)

* * *

After several hours of successful haunting, Jennifer decided to go to the warehouse to see if Brad needed any help with the pod-racer. She found the room in which Brad was working and thought, "I may as well practice my haunting now, too." She effortlessly appeared behind Brad and startled him.

He muttered, "You're becoming more and more like the phantom. His stench is rubbing off on you, too."

"What?"

"He smells like he's been dead for a while, and the smell is on you, too."

"Oh. Well, I was sent here to see if you needed any help with the pod-racer."

Brad nodded and said that he needed some help with the engines and the cooling system. They set to work on repairing the damaged parts, and Brad tried to ask her questions and start a conversation, although she seemed reluctant to say more than necessary.

Brad asked, "So, where have you been lately?"

"That's none of your business."

"You sent us a postcard, though, and it was from London."

Jennifer just nodded and continued working on the damaged cooling system.

Brad asked, "Do you live in London now?"

Jennifer shook her head and then said, "I'm not supposed to talk to you any more than is necessary, okay?"

"Why not?"

"He doesn't want me to." After that, there was only silence until all of the repairs to the pod-racer were done, at which point Jennifer silently left the warehouse.

* * *

On the Sith world of Korriban, the students had just completed their basic Sith training and were being granted their very own red lightsabers. Matt was given a dual-phase lightsaber, Kevin and Katelyn each received a double-bladed lightsaber, and Chris Danna and Greg each received two regular red lightsabers. The mysterious female form then started ordering them to torture her prisoners for her amusement. They were reluctant to do so, but their Sith training influenced them to oblige. However, they all threw up afterwards in disgust of what they had done to entertain the mysterious female behind the curtain. 


	33. Another Day on Tatooine

When Jennifer returned to the tent, Erik was not there yet, so Jennifer decided to start making his tea. She had watched him use the samovar, and was pretty sure that she could figure out how to make it work. After she made the tea, she remembered that he liked it best with a lemon, so she found one in a bucket next to the samovar and put it in. Just then, Erik came in and asked her what she was doing. After she told him, he softened, took the tea, and sat down on the futon, inviting her to join him. After he took a sip, he said, "That was very thoughtful and sweet of you, but you needn't make my tea for me. You did a good job, though, and it was very kind of you. How did your haunting go?"

"It went very well! I must have snuck up on at least ten people, and then I managed to disappear before they saw me! It reminded me of the contest I had at school with one of my friends. We had a sort of competition to see how many times I could sneak up on her compared to how many times she could catch me trying. I won by at least five points. It was so fun!"

"Yes, haunting is very fun. Although it's much easier if people actually think that you're a ghost."

"A few years ago some people did call me a ghost."

"Why would they say that?"

"I'd guess that they thought that I was too pale for a Floridian. I guess some people don't understand that lying out in the sun- or worse, tanning beds- for countless hours can cause some serious skin problems. Although I guess a little sunlight occasionally is good for you, if you have the proper protection, because it is a good source of vitamin D."

"I generally despise sunlight. It is much too garish and it hurts my eyes. I also generally despise the human race, and now that I know that they would dare to make fun of you, I have an additional reason to do so. You did a very good job making my tea, by the way. You can make it for me from now on if you would like to so."

Jennifer nodded and Erik asked, "Are you hungry?" Jennifer nodded and Erik made her some soup. She ate her soup, and they continued talking. Jennifer asked Erik how his day was, and he responded, "It was okay, I suppose. It's great that I can amaze and frighten people that easily. Although I must say that the highlight of my day was our kiss this morning." Jennifer blushed, but smiled and continued eating her soup. After she had finished, they kissed softly on the lips. They both looked and felt delighted. Jennifer said, "I went to the warehouse today, too. The pod-racer ought to be done soon. Something Brad said, though…" Erik asked, "What did he say?" Jennifer answered, lowering her head, "He said that you smell like you've been dead for a while, and that I'm starting to smell like that, too." Erik snapped, obviously irritated and referring to his lack of a nose, "Well, I wouldn't know that now, would I?" He calmed down, sighed, and said, "However, I can fix it. I'll draw a bath for you and I'll come up with something to make myself somewhat tolerable to the people with noses." He kissed her gently on the forehead and went off to prepare her bath. When it was ready, he created a partition using a curtain, and she went to take her bath. While she was bathing, he worked on something to disguise his corpse-like odor. By the time she came out, dressed in a different gray robe, he had come up with a solution and sprayed it on himself. As Jennifer came out, she immediately noticed the difference. She approached him, and gave him a hug, and he kissed the top of her head. She complimented, "You smell like roses now." He thanked her, and asked her if she would like to have her music lesson now. She nodded, and he got out his violin to accompany her voice.

Meanwhile, Drew, Brad, Kirsten Raynor, Rene, and Kristina had built a fire outside of the tents and were gathered around it roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. They started talking about Jennifer's recent behavior. Brad told them about the conversation he had had with her earlier that day, and Rene, Kirsten R, and Kristina mentioned how they had seen Jennifer startling people in the crowd and then disappearing afterwards. After they had eaten, they each went to their tents, exhausted from the day's work.

A few hours later, when Jennifer's lesson was over, Erik and Jennifer sat down on the futon together. Erik said, "My dear, are you tired now?" Jennifer nodded and yawned. He kissed her on the forehead and said softly, "I love you." She smiled and said, "I love you, too." Then he sang her to sleep and held her until dawn, slipping in and out of sleep himself.

* * *

A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this. Please leave a review! 


	34. Fights

A/N: I don't own any of the stories that are entered in this story, unless otherwise noted. Please enjoy and read, and don't forget to leave a review.

* * *

One week later, on Korriban, the mysterious figure had run out of captives for the students to torture, so she said that Matt and Chris D would have to fight each other to entertain her. Chris D and Matt were led to an arena, given their lightsabers, and instructed to make their battle "amusing". They began to fight fiercely, even savagely. After about an hour of intense combat, Chris D managed to hack off one of Matt's arms, but almost immediately afterwards Matt unleashed Force lightning and electrocuted Chris D. Then a window that was previously invisible to Matt appeared, and the mysterious figure was standing behind it, still shrouded by a curtain. She clapped her hands lightly and said, "That was mildly entertaining. Still, Erik was much more efficient as well as more entertaining. He would never have lost an arm." Then she dismissed Matt to go get a replacement arm.

After Matt's new robotic arm had been installed, he reported to the planning room to be briefed about the scheme that Kevin had made to lure Erik to Korriban. The mysterious figure was in the back of the room, and Katelyn and Greg were both listening to Kevin's explanation. Kevin explained, "HK-47, an assassination droid, has been sent to Tatooine, where we think Erik is staying. He will bring Jennifer here, and Erik will try to find her. However, we will tell him that we have taken Jennifer to Kashyyyk. Erik will go there, and Katelyn and Greg will be waiting for him there. They will disable him and bring him here." Everyone agreed to this plan, and Greg and Katelyn set off for Kashyyyk.

* * *

Peter, Victoria, Kirsten W, Chris H, Kamilah, and Kelsey had woken up a week before in a strange, planet-sized metropolis, which they had come to realize was called Coruscant. They had managed to survive for that week by using the money they were carrying with them to buy food and shelter. Then they had all found jobs working for an affluent senator. On this particular day, they were walking to their jobs, when they saw a man dressed like a Jedi. He looked at his watch, muttered something about Tatooine, and went off in the direction of the landing pads.

* * *

Back at the phantom's carnival on Tatooine, the week had passed by much as that first day had. The students did their jobs, Jennifer had lessons from Erik on various languages in the morning and on music in the evenings, and she practiced her haunting skills during the day, while Erik was performing. Brad had finished the repairs of the pod-racer, and had practiced using it. The day of the race had arrived, and Brad was now preparing his pod-racer. The students, Erik, and Jennifer were sitting in the back of the arena waiting for the race to start. The race soon began, and they watched attentively as the pod-racers sped off. After the race was over, they all went to congratulate Brad for finishing in a close second. By the rules of this game, Brad received some prize money. Erik took the money and gave him half of it. Then they all went back to their tents and were given the rest of the day off, after Erik gave them the money that they had earned. 

Erik and Jennifer had their music lesson when they arrived back at their tent. After the lesson was over, they realized that it was around supper time and that Rene, Drew, Brad, Kristina, and Kirsten R had built another fire and were again roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. Jennifer asked Erik for permission to join them and talk to them, and he reluctantly gave it. She hugged and thanked him, and he kissed the top of her head and said, "I love you." She smiled and said, "I love you, too." Then she went to join the students, and Erik pulled out his violin and began to compose a new song.

When Jennifer reached their fire, she greeted the students and they greeted her with mild surprise. Brad asked, "He let you come to talk to us?" Jennifer nodded and sat down with them, and they offered her a marshmallow. They could hear Erik playing his violin in the tent. After about thirty minutes of conversation, they were interrupted by a loud noise, as a spaceship came to hover right above their heads; a rather dangerous-looking droid with glowing red eyes, holding a large blaster rifle, jumped out of the spaceship.

Rene, Brad, Drew, Kirsten R, and Kristina tried to run, their eyes wide with fear, but it shot them each in the knee. It then lowered the setting on the blaster and shot both of Jennifer's knees. She tried to call out for Erik, but the droid swiftly silenced her with a blow to the head, strong enough to silence her but not strong enough to quite knock her out. She moaned and muttered, "Why?" The droid said, "Explanation: I have been ordered to take you to the Sith." Having said this, it dragged her into the spaceship, and then came out a moment later. It finished off all of the students except for Brad, who it shot in the foot. The droid then said, "Instruction: Tell Erik that if he wishes to see Jennifer again, then he will go to Kashyyk." It then departed in the spaceship.

It seemed like hours to Brad before Erik finally heard him calling and came. Erik asked, "What has happened?"

"A robot came and killed the others. It shot Jennifer and took her into a spaceship."

"Do you have any idea where the spaceship went?"

"The robot said that if you wanted to see her again, you would have to go to Kashyyyk"

"Very well, then. I will take care of your injuries, and then depart for Kashyyyk."

Erik did as he said he would, fixed Brad's injuries enough that Brad could live, and then set him on the futon in his tent. Then Erik went back to his tent and found Jennifer's lightsaber, gathered the rest of their belongings, and departed from the carnival to find a way to get to Kashyyyk.

A little while later, he entered a cantina and found someone who had a spaceship and was willing to bring him to Kashyyyk. He looked like a scoundrel, but he agreed to fly Erik to Kashyyyk after they played a few rounds of pazaak. The two shook on their deal, and introduced themselves.

"I'm Atton."

Erik nodded. "I am Erik." They departed for Atton's ship, and left for Kashyyyk.

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	35. In a Kolto Tank

When Jennifer woke up, she didn't recognize her surroundings at all. She felt as if she were floating, and eventually realized that this was the case. She could still feel pain from where she had been shot, but it was a distant feeling and, as she looked down at her knees, she realized that whatever she was floating in was mending her wounds. She thought, "This must be _kolto_, a healing substance from the aquatic planet Manaan." Then she wondered, "Where am I?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by several sounds occurring in rapid succession of each other. She heard sounds of the ship landing, then of footsteps; then she heard the door to whatever room she was in open and saw the droid that had attacked her enter the room. It said, "Announcement: We have landed on Korriban. Imperative: When I open your kolto tank, you will walk in front of me. Eager Threat: If you try anything, I will shoot your knees again." Jennifer did as she was instructed, while trying to remember all she knew regarding Korriban and HK-47. However, HK-47 placed a neural restraint on her head before she couldthink oftoo much. They walked into the Sith base and were greeted by a mysterious female, who was concealed behind a red curtain, and by Matt and Kevin. The female figure asked, "She is Erik's wife?" Matt and Kevin both responded in the positive. She sneered at Jennifer, "Is he still as ugly as I remember him to be? He was so hideous that it made him attractive." Jennifer didn't answer her. The female figure laughed and said, "Yes, I had forgotten about the neural restraint. Well, we'll continue this conversation later." She waved them away, and HK-47 took Jennifer to another room, removed the neural restraint, shoved her into another kolto tank, and guarded the entrance to the room. Not knowing what else to do, Jennifer tried to rest.

* * *

Brad had been lying on the futon for nearly twelve hours now. Conveniently, Erik had left some food on a small table next to the futon, so he had eaten earlier, but he was still in considerable pain and was also very bored. Suddenly, a man wearing Jedi robes entered the tent. He pulled back the hood of his robe, and Brad realized that he recognized him; he was Mr. Brown, Brad's teacher in middle school! What was he doing in Star Wars? Mr. Brown asked, "Brad?"

Brad asked, "Mr. Brown? What are you doing here?"

Mr. Brown face looked grim. "I'm looking for a phantom. He killed Jennifer about a year ago."

Brad exclaimed, "Jennifer is still alive, though! She was here just yesterday, but a robot that claimed to be working for the Sith came and shot her, and then dragged her into a spaceship and off to Kashyyyk. He shot me, too, and killed the others who were with us, except for the phantom."

"Where is the phantom now?"  
"He followed them to Kashyyyk after he found out what had happened."

"Did you ever see the phantom hurt Jennifer?"

Brad shook his head. "No. I've never seen him hurt her, and both Jennifer and the phantom claim that he never has and never will, but one of my classmates claimed that he saw the phantom rape her."

Mr. Brown said, "I'll have to go to Kashyyyk, then. Do your wounds need any medical attention?"

"The phantom took care of them, but they still hurt considerably."

Mr. Brown then used the Force to heal the wounds on Brad's knee and foot. Brad then stood up and was able to walk. He said, "I could come with you to Kashyyyk. I have a pod-racer, and we could make it interstellar."

Mr. Brown nodded, and they set to work adapting the pod-racer for space travel, and left later that day.


	36. The Battle on Kashyyyk

Somewhere on Kashyyyk, Shannon, Thomas, Chris H, Romeo, and Arianne had stumbled upon a small Mandalorian camp. The Mandalorians were reluctant to welcome outsiders, but after Shannon and Chris H defeated more of the strange creatures that they had encountered before, they were allowed to stay at the camp. Mandalore, the leader of the Mandalorians, had even agreed to teach Shannon and Chris H the Mandalorian style of combat. Mandalore told them of the relatively recent war and of how their race had nearly been wiped out, but that there were still groups of Mandalorians scattered throughout the galaxy; he told them that the Mandalorians were a people who loved combat and valued honor.

Today Shannon was walking through the forest, equipped with a double-bladed vibroblade, with her "pet" tach monkey that she had befriended a few days earlier. The tach monkey was usually considered annoying, and this one did get on Shannon's nerves at first, but she had grown rather attached to the animal, and it followed her everywhere. She had come to the edge of a clearing in the forest when she saw a spacecraft with Greg and Katelyn standing by it. There were at least a score or two Sith soldiers in the area.

Shannon was about to call out to them, when a pair of cold, bony hands reached out from in a tree and silenced her. Shannon looked up to see the pair of golden eyes blazing down at her from the semi-darkness of the canopy. Soon, Shannon heard a voice, seemingly coming from right next to her ear, say, "You are Jennifer's friend, Shannon?" Shannon nodded, and the voice responded, "They have harmed Jennifer and taken her away from me. Will you help me to save her?" Shannon nodded, and a moment later she saw five round objects flying out of the trees. When the objects hit the ground near the soldiers, they were all frozen. The voice addressed Shannon again. "That ought to even the odds, but I believe that your peers are about to attack us." Shannon saw a dark shape jump gracefully from the canopy of the forest to land right next to her. The shape activated two yellow lightsabers as he was jumping. Sure enough, Katelyn and Greg immediately rushed at them, armed with their own lightsabers. Luckily for Shannon, vibroblades were able to block lightsabers so she was able to parry Katelyn's slashes. The phantom and Greg were fighting viciously. After what seemed like an eternity of this combat, the phantom impaled Greg on his lightsaber. Katelyn took advantage of this distraction and cut off Shannon's hand (the hand holding the vibroblade). Before Katelyn could further maim Shannon, though, the phantom had pinned Katelyn to the ground with one of his lightsabers. He roared, "Where is Jennifer?" Katelyn answered, panting, "It's in the ship's recent memory." The phantom pulled the lightsaber out and approached Shannon. He said, "Once again, I thank you for helping me. Your wound should not pose you any imminent danger, as the lightsaber cauterized the wound as it cut." Then he boarded the spaceship. Shannon picked up her vibroblade and went in the direction of the Mandalorian camp.

On the spaceship, Erik looked up the travel log of the spaceship, and figured out that Jennifer was on Korriban. Then he suddenly felt an uncomfortable sensation in his chest, began to have trouble breathing, and felt very dizzy. He sank to his knees and then collapsed.

Near the same clearing, Brad and Mr. Brown were landing the interstellar pod-racer. They walked to the clearing and boarded the spaceship. Finding Erik sprawled on the floor unconscious, Mr. Brown quickly used the Force to heal him. Brad checked the phantom for a pulse, and found only a barely noticeable heartbeat. They realized that the phantom had just had a heart attack, and that Mr. Brown had just saved the phantom's life. Working together, Mr. Brown and Brad carried the phantom to the pod-racer, which wasn't too difficult considering that the phantom never seemed to eat. Then they departed for the Jedi enclave on Dantooine.

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Please review!


	37. Eavesdropping

A/N: I just realized that I didn't mention where the tach monkey was during the battle. It was hiding in the forest during the battle. After the battle, it went back to the camp with Shannon. Also, if any of my Star Wars details are incorrrect or inaccurate, please let me know in a review so that I can fix them. Please read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Jennifer woke up the next day very early, resolved to at least try to do something about her predicament. She tried to open her kolto tank using the Force, and found that it worked. She went to the computer console and tried to activate it.

The screen read, "Please verify authorization by answering these questions. Question 1: Which of these Sith lords was not buried on Korriban?" Jennifer looked down the list and remembered playing Knights of the Old Republic on computer. She knew this question.

"Freedon Nad. He was buried on Dxun." After a moment, the computer registered this and the next message came on the screen: "That is correct. Which system do you wish to access?"

Jennifer replied, "Communications." Reaching out through the Force, she found Erik's location, but sensed that something was wrong. She could vaguely sense his existence and location, but she sensed that he was not well. She quickly had the computer send a transmission to Erik's location. Then she asked the computer to access the security cameras. The screen displayed another question. "Question 2: Complete the blanks in the Sith code. ­­­­­­­­­­is a lie. There is only. Through I gain. Through I gain. Through I gain . Throughmy chains are broken. The shall set me free."

Jennifer paused to remember the Sith code. After a minute or so, she answered, "Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Through passion I gain strength. Through strength I gain power. Through power I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken. The Force shall set me free." The computer registered this and the screen read: "That is correct. Accessing cameras now." Jennifer pressed the screen in which she saw Matt and Kevin walking, discussing something. She asked, "Can the audio be turned on?" The computer immediately obliged, and Jennifer quickly realized that they were talking about her.

Kevin was the one speaking when the audio was turned on. "All the same, none of this is her fault, really. I mean, you said that he raped her. She is probably just experiencing Stockholm syndrome."

"Still, if she doesn't join our side, she would be a convenient scapegoat."

"That's true, but if she refuses to join us immediately, we will know that it is simply a case of Stockholm syndrome."

Matt nodded. "Yes. She's usually very clever. If there is not something wrong with her, then she will join our side and turn against Erik, but if she does not join us right away, then she would still be a very convenient scapegoat. It may even speed up her recovery."

After she heard that, she heard footsteps outside in the hallway. Jennifer deactivated the computer after telling it to delete the recent history and play a loop in the camera to make it seem like she had been in the kolto tank the whole time. Then she climbed back into the kolto tank.

When the footsteps drew much closer, Jennifer feigned sleep. She heard the voice of HK-47. "Imperative: You must wake up now." Jennifer slowly pretended that she was just then waking up. When her eyes were fully opened, the droid said, "Statement: I have been instructed to put the neural restraint on at a lower setting today." It opened the kolto tank and did just that, and then led her to a small rectangular room with a single chair in the center. The droid forced her into the chair and fastened her arms to the armrests. It told her that she would be waiting here for a while, and left the room. Jennifer sat there struggling against the neural restraint for quite a while.


	38. Memories part 1

A/N: Sorry for the slight delay in getting this chapterup. It is, however, the longest chapteryet! It is Kay based. Please read, review, and enjoy!

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Mr. Brown and Brad had arrived on Dantooine a few hours before. Dr. Evans and the students were bewildered by there arrival, but Brad filled them in on everything that had happened. They had placed Erik in a comfortable room where he could recover, but he had not yet regained full consciousness. Whenever he was conscious, he was delirious. 

Mr. Brown plugged him into a machine that, because of his delirious and unconscious state, would allow them to see into his memories and find out whether or not he had really harmed Jennifer. They looked into his memories from a screen in another room.

Erik'searliest memories were displayed. Erik was scarcely older than a newborn. A crude mask that looked as though it had been cut in haste was being placed over his head. For a few weeks, he was mostly left alone. His mother assumed that he would be retarded, but that changed when her friend, Marie Perrault, placed a string of bells over his crib and he began to play songs on them, adding slight variations each time.

When he was six months old, they saw, he had tipped over his crib. A dog was sitting in the corner, and Erik began to try to walk towards her. His mother had come in and yelled, "Sasha, stay away from it!" Just as he had finally reached the dog, he uttered his first word: "Sasha!" Instead of running from him as his mother had yelled, the dog licked his mask. For a long time after that, the dog was Erik's only friend.

One time, when he was around four, they saw, the priest, Father Mansart, had come to see how Erik was doing. Erik expressed an interest in music, and the priest asked him to sing. Erik did, and it brought the priest to the verge of tears. The priest and Erik's mother had Erik leave the room, but he still was able to hear the priest remark to his mother, "If it were not blasphemy to think so, I would have thought that I had just heard the voice of God." The priest began to give him lessons and attempted to instill a sense of morals in Erik, but Erik learned whatever he wanted to learn at an astoundingly rapid paceyet could not comprehend what he didn't want to learn. He began to read a vast assortment of books, especially on music and architecture (he had begun to make his own designs and sketches), but it seemed beyond him to develop a sense of right and wrong.

The Jedi watching the screen then saw the memory of his fifth birthday. His mother told him that it was his birthday, but he did not know what a birthday was. She told him that it was a day when you could get a present.

Erik, obviously nervous and fidgeting, asked, "Could I have anything I want for my birthday?"

"Anything within reason."

"Could I have two?"

"Why would you want two?"

"I want one for now and one to save for later."

"That depends on what you want, Erik, but I can't get it for you if you don't tell me what you want."

Erik was silent for a moment before he said timidly, "Could I have…two…kisses?"

After Erik said that, his mother became furious. She hit him and screamed, "You must never ask that again! Get away from me!" Erik ran to his room in the attic and did not come out until supper. As he got dressed in his little suit, he decided not to wear his mask, as he had no idea why he even had to wear it in the first place. When he went downstairs to where his mother and her friend Marie Perrault were waiting for him, his mother yelled at him for not wearing his mask. He asked, "Why do I have to wear a mask?" His mother grabbed his wrists and pulled him into her room, which he was forbidden to ever enter and which contained the only mirror in the house, carefully concealed. She tore off the cover and made him look at his face, hissing, "_This_ is why you must wear the mask!" On sight of the corpse-like face, with translucent sallow skin that revealed the blood vessels underneath, sunken holes where his nose should have been, and his eerie golden eyes staring back at him, he screamed and started hitting the mirror furiously, not understanding that this was himself. The glass broke and the shards cut at his wrists. Marie Perrault stopped Erik from hurting himself any more.

Erik's memory then became blurry, and the next thing he knew he was on his bed in the attic. For at least a few days he sat there, suffering from intense nightmares, the subject of which was always the face in the mirror. His mother eventually came to him and, when he asked about how the mask can make the monster in the mirror go away, she told him that there was no magic in mirrors, and that they only showed what was there. He then became obsessed with mirrors and tried to figure out how to make one when his mother wouldn't buy him one, breaking windows in order to get glass for his project.

By this time, he was around six. He began to sneak out of the house to watch the animals of the forest play. He did this every night for about a year by jumping into a tree about 20 feet away from his attic window and scaling down it, all with the grace and agility of a cat. One night, he saw the village church where his mother attended mass every Sunday. He thought, "Mother lied to me! It is beautiful!" He snuck into the church and began to play beautiful music on the pipe organ with his hands that even then had long, bony fingers. The next morning, there was a mob of boys outside his house demanding to see the monster. The priest dispersed the mob and boarded up the windows to the attic so thatErik couldn't get out again.

The priest then discovered some of Erik's amazing architectural designs. He contacted his friend, an architect and teacher, to see if he would be willing to teach Erik. His friend, Professor Guizot, came when he saw the sketches, although he was skeptical that a child could have drawn them, and drilled Erik on all of the parts of the buildings, and then watched Erik sketch another design. He then asked to see behind the mask, and his mother Madeleine made Erik remove his mask. The professor hid his disgust, but after Erik had left the room, he turned to Madeleine and said, "Under normal circumstances I would take such a talented student under my own roof, but the people in town would talk, and my wife would complain, so I could just come here to teach him." Madeleine agreed, and Professor Guizot came once every week to teach Erik.

Marie Perrault had left a present for Erik after his eventful fifth birthday, his only birthday that was ever celebrated. It was a book on ventriloquism, and although Madeleine had locked it in the dresser of her bedroom, Erik picked the lock and began to read the book avidly; he soon mastered this new skill.

By now, he was seven. His mother had met a doctor named Etienne and was dating him, but she did not know that Erik knew until one day when Erik confronted her about it. Erik knew that the doctor wanted him sent away to an asylum so that he could marry Madeleine. Erik said, "I do not approve of this relationship. You will not see him again."

Madeleine responded furiously, "Who I see is none of your business!"

"Don't see him again, or I'll make the house disappear!"

"How will you do that?"

"I'm a very good magician. I can make anything disappear if I want to!"

Madeleine struck Erik. Erik got away from her and she yelled, "I hate you!"

After a moment Erik answered, "I hate you, too." Erik went up to his room and played on his violin to make himself feel better.

A few weeks later, when Etienne had nearly convinced Madeleine to send Erik away, Erik played a trick on Madeleine. He convinced her that she had another child, perfectly formed, by using his ventriloquism to make a figure of a shepherd boy talk to her and cry. Erik helped her take care of his new "brother."

After he helped out a lot, his mother said, "You've been very helpful."

"Does that mean that you won't send me away to an asylum? Can I stay?"

"Yes, you can stay."

By now, Erik was eight. Sasha was growing old and seemed to be near death. The priest tried to tell Erik this, but Erik said, "It's all right, though. I'll meet her in Heaven." The priest, however, told him that animals do not have souls and so Sasha would not go to Heaven. This threw Erik into a homicidal rage. He grabbed some hot tongs from the fireplace and advanced toward the priest with them. Then there was a gap in his memory, and the next memory the watching Jedi saw was the priest trying to perform an exorcism on Erik.

However, this attempt only worsened Erik's behavior. Now, they saw another memory of Erik at the dinner table with his mother. As they had seen in previous memories, Erik was never really inclined to eat. He didn't really like food, but his mother made him eat anyway. Now, however, he was playing with his silverware and making them talk to each other using his ventriloquist tricks. His mother told him to stop playing with the silverware, but Erik only said with a smirk, "Mother, it wasn't me! It was that spirit that Father Mansart tried to exorcise from me!"

One fateful day, however, when Erik was nine, he was in a mood to compose and could not stand to be interrupted by anyone; he had his mother put Sasha outside because she was bothering him.

A few hours later, they heard the sounds of a mob coming. Erik seemed to snap out of his mood all of sudden and asked, "Where's Sasha?" Madeleine said, "Don't you remember? You asked me to put her outside!" Erik seemed confused, but nevertheless he tried to dash outside to find her. His mother stopped him, until the priest arrived. Then Erik managed to get outside and went searching through the mob for Sasha. The mob was hurting the poor dog and was declaring it "the monster's dog." When he came, they started attacking him instead. After a while of this fight, Erik reached Sasha and ran back towards the house. Realizing that the mob had mortally wounded Sasha, Erik yelled, "I'll kill you all!" He began to try to attack the mob, but Etienne, who had just arrived, pulled him into the house with Sasha. The priest came to disperse the mob.

When Erik got inside, he was resolved to play a requiem for Sasha. The priest and his mother protested, but they could not dissuade him from it, as he did not care in the least if they thought it was blasphemy. Then he wanted to go outside to bury Sasha, but then Etienne realized that not all of the blood on Erik belonged to Sasha, and that Erik was hurt badly by the mob. Etienne treated his wound, much to Erik's surprise. They left him alone to rest, and he slept for a while. He woke up in the middle of the night resolved to run away. He set up a gruesome display of mirrors, with the figure of the shepherd boy pierced in the center of the attic. He changed into a fresh suit, and then went outside to bury Sasha. Then he ran away, leaving everything behind him.


	39. Interrogations

A/N: This chapter is kind of short, and it is the last chapter that I have pre-written. I am in the middle of writing chapter 40, so the next updates will probably be slower.

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After what seemed like hours of waiting while strapped to the chair, Jennifer finally heard someone coming. Matt and Kevin entered the room and stood on opposite sides of the room to the sides of the chairs. Jennifer then heard the mysterious female voice and figured that there was an invisible window to the room. The voice said, "Hello, bride of Erik. I have some questions for you." Jennifer nodded. The voice asked, "I've always wondered this. What's Erik like in bed?" Jennifer asked, "What do you mean?" The voice answered, "Well, you are his wife, right?" Jennifer nodded. The voice said, "Well, have you two consummated your marriage yet?" Jennifer finally broke through the power of the neural restraint and was able to realize what the voice was talking about. Jennifer answered, "No, we haven't."

The voice said with touches of amusement and disappointment all at once, "Oh. That's strange. I would think that he would be rather impatient regarding that, but I shouldn't be surprised. I suppose he must know by now that no woman would ever want him, even though he is _dead_ sexy, with the emphasis on 'dead,' of course. Anyway, he's never really been that forceful for that. He refused to 'take' a gift that I sent him once, a slave girl from the harem, (about your age, really), because she didn't want him to. Of course, I had the disobedient wench executed the next day. It was very insolent of your husband to walk out on her execution, though. Really, it should have honored him; I used his own methods perfectly. However, he said that it was 'in very bad taste' and just walked out. Your husband's too insolent for his own good, you know. I wasn't quite sure what to do when I found out that he was alive. I wasn't sure whether or not I should send soldiers to finish the job the daroga was supposed to do, and bring back his head as proof and as a lovely trophy, or find a way to bring him back here to resume his old job of entertaining me. Of course, I settled on the latter. It does get rather boring around here. I've been rambling, though, and I've slowed down the entertainment!" By now, Jennifer had realized that this was the sultana that Erik had entertained at Mazenderan in Persia.

The sultana ordered Matt and Kevin to use their Force lightning to torture Jennifer for the sultana's amusement, but said, "Don't use it so strongly this time, though. You killed that other apprentice last time, and I don't want her to die just yet." The twins did as they were told, and caused Jennifer as much agony as they could with their lightning without killing her. After a few hours, the sultana was finally amused enough to dismiss them, and HK-47 escorted Jennifer back to her kolto tank. Feeling utterly miserable and hoping that Erik would save her soon, Jennifer wept until she fell asleep.


	40. Memories part 2

A/N: I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. I may rewrite it later. The events of this chapter are why this story is rated T.

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The Jedi on Dantooine had stopped watching Erik's memories for an hour or so. They went to check up on how Erik was doing. They found that he was recovering, but that he was rather delirious and muttered incoherently in his half-sleep. Then they went back to the room with the television screen to further delve into his memories. 

The night that Erik had run away, they saw, he had built a make-shift shelter. He was still experiencing a dull pain from his wounds and now, for the first time in his life, he was hungry and actually wanted to eat. He fell asleep in the make-shift shelter.

The next day, he wandered through the forest for hours searching for food and a place to stay. By nightfall, he came upon a gypsy camp. He meant to steal some food, but then he saw some beautiful horses and tried to pet them. The horses neighed loudly, and he backed away. However, it was too late. The gypsies heard the noise and came to investigate. They found Erik and dragged him to the center of their camp. They asked him what he was doing there, and thought that he was trying to steal the horses. They mocked him for his mask, his formal attire, and his politeness when he was answering them. Then the gypsies took off his mask and, when they saw his face, locked him in a cage.

The next day, a dirty-looking, large man entered the cage to look at Erik. Erik kept asking when he could go home, but the man only laughed at him and insulted him. Then the man forced him to eat disgusting gruel so that he wouldn't starve to death. The man said that his name was Javert. Erik despised Javert and refused to eat the food, even though he was famished by now, but Javert forced him to eat it.

A few days later, Javert was planning to display him for the first time. A crowd had gathered to see the new attraction. Several gypsies held Erik so that he couldn't struggle when they pulled the mask off. They pulled it off, and when the audience gasped in terror, Erik let out an inhuman-sounding cry. Many people in the audience screamed and left, demanding their money back, and any children in the audience were crying.

After everyone had left, Javert came in and whipped him. He said, "You turned more skirts today than even Don Juan could have turned!"

At the next show, Javert tried a different strategy. He trapped Erik inside a small coffin, which was open just enough that his face was visible, and gagged him so that he couldn't scream and frighten away the customers. Javert made a large amount of money, and Erik was miserable.

A few months later, Erik made a business proposal to Javert. If lilies were placed near the coffin, Erik would make the lilies sing, and after that his mask could be removed. Javert asked how he could do that, and Erik demonstrated his ventriloquism. Javert, seeing a chance for increased profit, asked what Erik wanted in return. Erik said that he wanted his own tent to perform in, increased privacy and freedom, and a small share of the profit. Javert agreed, and Erik began to perform under those circumstances the very next day.

After a few months of his increased freedom, Erik began to revel in the power he held in the camp. He may have been an outsider, but he was feared. He could hear the gypsies muttering stories about him to their small children. Once he heard one say to his children, "Eat all of your vegetables, or Erik will snatch you away into his tent and you will never be seen again." Erik also overhead others making up nonsense about how he rode a dragon, which they seemed to actually believe.

By the time he was eleven, the watching Jedi saw, he had begun to study about gypsy remedies. However, the gypsy medicine woman stopped teaching him when he began to experiment with creating his own remedies rather than making the traditional ones. That winter, however, an epidemic spread to the children of the camp and to the gypsy medicine woman. Erik made a remedy for it and used it to heal the medicine woman. However, only a few of the children's parents accepted his untraditional remedy. These few survived, and all of the other children affected died from the disease.

The next year of Erik's life passed by much the same way as the previous year at the gypsy carnival.

One night, while the carnival was in Spain, Erik was wallowing in self-pity after he had observed how casually the gypsies touched each other and thought for the first time that no one would ever love him for himself. While he was taking a walk through the forest and thinking of this, he heard someone scream. He went towards the place where the shout seemed to be coming from, and saw a gypsy girl who had fallen to the ground. He approached her, wanting to help. He noticed that she was a few years older than he was. He helped her to her feet before she realized who he was. Then she saw his face and looked as though she was about to scream. Erik stopped her from screaming by saying, "Don't scream, or I'll be the nightmare creature whom they describe." She didn't scream, so Erik set to work taking care of her injured foot. He gave her a remedy to help it heal and had her rest in a clearing of the forest. They talked awkwardly for a while, and Erik found out that she had slept with a man and planned to elope with him, but he left her. Now, if her family found out, she could be killed.

The girl fell asleep for several hours. When she woke up, it was nearly dawn. In her sleep, she had come up with a solution to her problem. She muttered it aloud, and Erik heard her; she was going to accuse him of raping her! Her foot injury had basically healed, so she ran off towards the gypsy camp. Erik realized that the gypsies would take her word over his, and they would undoubtedly kill him.

Realizing this, he did not pursue her, but walked quickly to his own tent instead in order to pack up his belongings and run away. He began to gather his stuff when Javert came in and realized that Erik intended to leave. Javert berated Erik for his "ungratefulness" and then said, "I've never had a corpse before."

Before Erik could ponder what Javert had meant by that, Javert was trying to force off Erik's clothing. Erik struggled fiercely, but Javert was much larger and stronger, and Erik scarcely ever ate more than one small meal per day. Erik was in a panic, but resolved to calm down so that he could find a way out of his situation. Javert took this calm as resignation, so he turned around and started to take off his own clothing. While Javert was turned around, Erik found his way out. There was a dagger next to Javert's discarded boots. Erik lunged for the dagger, just as Javert realized what he was doing. Javert tried to stop him from getting the dagger, but Erik was swift and stabbed him several times.

Then Erik felt for the first time a strange surge of power. The watching Jedi could almost feel the strange influence seeping through Erik like a drug. After a moment, Erik put his clothes back on, took the dagger, gathered up his belongings, and left the tent. He could hear the gypsies, who sounded outraged, coming towards his tent. Erik quickly found the area where the horses were kept and stole one, and then rode off into the forest.


	41. Attempted Persuasion

A/N: I was so pleased when I found out that I now have 17 reviews! Yay!

I searched for some of the locations mentioned in Leroux and in Kay on Google Earth, and it couldn't find Mazenderan or Njini-Novgorod (maybe the names have changed?) It did, however, find Boscherville, the town Erik was born in in Kay, and it is actually near Rouen. I found that very interesting.

Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy!

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Jennifer awoke with a start from a horrifying nightmare. Right when she opened her eyes, she found out that Matt and Kevin were in the room. Jennifer gasped before asking, "Why are you here?" The twins answered in unison, "We want you to join us." Jennifer did not respond.

Kevin said, "You were our friend once, until the phantom brought you under his spell. We can help free you from him." Jennifer still would not respond.

Matt said, "We want you to help us kill him when he gets here." Jennifer became furious and defiantly screamed, "No! I won't ever betray my husband!"

Kevin said, "The sultana knows about you hacking into the computer earlier. She is not pleased."

Matt said, "Your kolto tank is more secure now, and she will no doubt ask us to increase the voltage the next time she wants to be entertained." Jennifer made no remark after this threat, nor did she show any sign of giving in.

The twins realized that, and instead began talking to each other.

"She used to be so clever, especially in geometry."

"Yes. It's such a pity that she fell under his spell and ran off with him."

Jennifer couldn't help but yell, "I am not under his spell!"

The twins asked, "Then why else would you marry him?"

Jennifer said, "I am in love with him! Do I need any other reason?"

Kevin said, "He is criminally insane."

Matt added, "And he is a murderer and a torturer."

Jennifer said angrily, "Who are you to judge him! You have murdered now, too! The sultana said so! And you have already tortured me and who knows how many others!"

Matt said, "What will happen when he gets tired of you, though? He is a complete psychopath! What will you do if he stops being patient with you and rapes you again, or if he completely loses his temper and snaps your neck with that accursed rope of his?"

Jennifer said, "Erik never raped me! He has never hurt me, and he loves me! Why can't you just leave us alone? If everyone would just let him be he wouldn't hurt anyone!"

Matt said, "We can't let Erik get away with killing both of us, even if we are alive again!"

Kevin said, "She not going to change her mind. She is clearly experiencing Stockholm syndrome. Goodbye for now, Madame."

Matt said, "Yes. Goodnight, Madame Fantome."

Jennifer again wept herself into an uneasy sleep.


	42. Memories part 3

A/N: I'm sorry that this update took longer.

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The Jedi took a break from watching Erik's memories on the television screen to discuss them. Vincent asked, "Why are we looking at his childhood instead of skipping to the parts we need to know?" Kelly, who had tears of sympathy for Erik streaming down her face, said, "We need to see his childhood because it affects who he is today." Mr. Brown nodded, and activated the machine again.

The Jedi saw him wander through Europe for a few years, sometimes traveling with other gypsy camps, other times wandering about on his own, exploring the architecture and sights. He had killed a few more times in self-defense.

During this memory, he was doing both; he stayed with the gypsy camp during the day and observed the architecture during the evening. He was in Florence, Italy, admiring some architecture, stroking the stonework with his unnaturally long, bony fingers. Suddenly, Erik realized that a man was watching him, spun about, and drew his knife.

The man, who appeared to be past middle-age, looked surprised and put his hands up to show that he had no weapons. He said, "Good evening." Erik narrowed his eyes. The man gestured to the stonework, "Are you interested in stonework, young man?"

Erik hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, his eyes becoming less narrowed.

The man said, "Oh! I am an architect. Would you mind putting that knife down, young man?"

Erik hesitated, and then nodded and put the dagger back into his cloak. The man extended his hand and said, "My name is Giovanni."

Erik eyed his outstretched hand warily, but eventually decided to shake hands with Giovanni. After the brief contact, he pulled away quickly and said softly, "I am Erik."

Giovanni seemed to quiver after hearing Erik's powerful, beautiful voice for the first time.

After a moment, Giovanni smiled and said, "Well, young Erik, would you like to study architecture?"

Erik again hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

Giovanni then told him to meet him at the same place on the next day.

The next day right before dawn, Erik was still debating with himself whether or not to meet Giovanni. He decided to meet him, and went to the same place on a hill in Florence. Erik got there before Giovanni did, and when Giovanni arrived to see the mysterious, tall, skeletally thin adolescent, with his eyes glowing yellow in the pre-dawn darkness, he greeted him with a friendly smile. They began to talk, mostly about architecture, and Erik gradually began to respect him.

When it was time for Giovanni to go to work at his building site, Giovanni asked Erik if he had a place to stay, and offered that Erik could stay at his house if he wanted to. Although Giovanni's intentions were only good, every warning bell in Erik's head went off at this, so he hastily declined the offer. Erik would not easily forget what Javert tried to do to him, and couldn't help but be suspicious of all men.

So Erik instead went back to perform again at the gypsy camp, and met Giovanni on the same hill the next day. That day, they both went to the worksite together, and Erik became Giovanni's apprentice, although he was not bound to stay for any amount of time as most apprenticed boys were. Giovanni seemed to understand that Erik needed his space and would not care for being bound to anyone.

Erik worked hard at the site and learned much about masonry, and Giovanni marveled at how quickly Erik seemed to understand and learn, and at how his hands seemed to lovingly caress the stone as he shaped it. Eventually, the two began to trust each other. After a week or so of working at the site, Erik accepted Giovanni's original offer of a place to stay and moved into the basement.

Erik divided all of his time between the worksite and the basement, where he invented many marvelous devices. Erik was learning quite a bit about architecture from Giovanni, and he was becoming content.

The next weekend, Giovanni and Erik went up to the hill to talk. They talked for a while, until Erik had moved dangerously close to the edge of the tall hill. Giovanni said, "Erik! Stay away from the edge!" Erik turned his head to look at Giovanni and said, "Why, sir? Why must I always stay away from the edge?" After a while, Giovanni said that it was time to go to church, but Erik refused to go, so Giovanni went to mass and Erik went back to his basement.

The next few months were spent much the same way. Erik began to leave his basement occasionally to talk to Giovanni, and their lives were generally rather peaceful. Erik was content.

This new-found peace, however, vanished quite suddenly when Luciana, Giovanni's youngest daughter (she was about 13), came home from the convent. She despised going to the convent and her letter to Giovanni informing him that she was coming home soon only reached him the day before she arrived, and he never found the time to warn Erik of her arrival. When she came in, Giovanni introduced them, but Erik only nodded before disappearing to his basement. Erik thought that she was hopelessly beautiful, but he had no idea how to talk to her.

Over the next few weeks, Erik could not understand Luciana's behavior. One night, she threw a tantrum and wrecked his inventions. He managed to repair most of them, but he was nevertheless angry. Another time, she was upset because he didn't want to eat the food that she cooked. Erik just didn't understand her strange behavior, so he found a horse and rode off for a few months and resumed traveling with gypsy camps.

Over those few months, Luciana went to the worksite everyday to see if he would return. One day, Luciana heard the workers gossiping about Erik. Previously, the workers thought that Erik was Giovanni's illegitimate son, and that he wore the mask to conceal his identity. However, one of the workers had visited one of the gypsy carnivals and described Erik's face. Luciana could not believe it. She had become infatuated with Erik.

That night, Erik returned to Giovanni's home. Giovanni did not question his long absence. Giovanni could tell that his daughter was infatuated with Erik and that Erik was completely oblivious to this. He foresaw some tragedy coming from this, but, as he was used to spoiling his daughter, he did not intervene, but warned her not to question his mask when she went to him to ask him about it.

After Erik returned, he seemed to be more distant from Giovanni than he was before. He returned to his old habit of working at the site by day and creating his inventions by night. However, Luciana asked him to repair many things and to build a garden for her, and he did. However, she began to neglect the garden, and he became angry with her.

A few weeks after Erik's return, Giovanni needed to talk to him. He gave Erik wine, and after several glasses Erik became much more talkative then he usually was. They talked for a while as they used to talk before Luciana had come home. A little while into their conversation, Giovanni gave Erik a compass, which he would have given to his son if he had had one. By the time they were done talking and Erik had gone to sleep, it was very late.

The next day, after Giovanni and Erik returned home from the worksite, Luciana wanted to talk to Giovanni. After asking about Erik's mask again, she threw a tantrum and cried, "He can't be ugly, father! I won't let him be ugly!" That night, while Erik was working on fixing a damaged part of the courtyard on the roof (where the garden was), Luciana came out and demanded that Erik take off his mask. Erik ignored her, and she yelled at him. After a while, Giovanni came out and ordered Erik to take off his mask.

When Giovanni asked Erik, he felt so betrayed. He had trusted Giovanni! However, Erik took off his mask as he was told to. Giovanni did not even look startled, but Luciana shrieked and backed away in fear and revulsion. She backed into the section of the roof that Erik had been in the process of repairing and the roof underneath her collapsed, causing her to fall to her death.

For the first time in his life, Erik felt guilty. Not knowing what else to do, he did what he always did when something like this happened to him: he ran away.


	43. Conversations with an Assassin Droid

A/N: I used a quote from a Star Wars game in this. Can anyone find it?

Please read and review!

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Although it was still the middle of the night, Jennifer woke up again. She couldn't help but think about everything that had happened to her, and she couldn't help worrying about Erik.

Jennifer reached out through the Force and once again attempted to find him. She could sense him much more easily now, but his signal was still rather weak.

She thought, "What has happened to him, and what will happen to me? Are the things that the sultana, Matt, and Kevin say true? No! They aren't. They are just trying to hurt me! They just want me to turn from Erik, but I won't. I never will."

She could see her reflection on the kolto tank, and what she saw was not heartening. Her robes were torn in several places. Her hair had become even more unkempt than it was before Erik started brushing it. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes look slightly reddened from all of her tears. Worst of all, she could see the burns left behind by the twin's Force lightning. The kolto tank was not finished healing her.

She continued thinking, "I miss my family very much. Will I ever see them again? Will I ever see Erik again? Yes! I know that I will. I must. After all, they are trying to lure Erik here. I will see him very soon. I just hope that he is all right!" Jennifer cried for a while, until HK-47 came in. He asked, "Inquiry: Why is there water on your face that is not part of the kolto?"

Jennifer looked at him quizzically before answering, "Because I am crying."

"Irritated Response: Yes, I know that, but why?"

"I am crying because I miss the man that I love."

"Love?"

"Yes. Do you know what 'love' is?"

"I do, although most organic meatbags seem to find my definition inaccurate. To me, love is taking a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech rifle with a tri-light scope."

Jennifer answered hesitantly, "I…I really don't know what to say to that."

"Observation: Most organic meatbags seem to take the same opinion as you do to my definition. Do you have a better definition?"

"I really don't know how to put it into words. If I tried it would probably sound too cliché. I just know that I love Erik."

HK-47 seemed to be leaving, so Jennifer called out.

"Wait! Why did you come here?"

"Statement: Strangely enough, I wanted to talk to someone. This is very unusual for me."

"I know how you feel. I am usually silent, so when I talk to anyone except for Erik, I feel as though I am talking too much."

HK-47 left while she was talking, and Jennifer was again left alone with her tears.

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	44. An Agreement

Now it was morning, and the Jedi checked to see how Erik was doing. His condition was greatly improved, but he was still unconscious. Then they went back to watch more of Erik's memories.

After he left Florence, he wandered through Europe for a little while, and then went into Asia. He stayed in India for a time, and there mastered the use of the Punjab lasso. He sailed with Tonkin pirates for quite a while and learned several tricks from them. He wandered through countless countries and learned many languages and tricks, sometimes traveling on his own and other times traveling with fairs and carnivals.

By the time he was 19, he was renowned throughout the world as the greatest magician on Earth. His legerdemain, his voice, his ventriloquism, and the horror of his face created quite an impressive show, and stories about him had spread quickly throughout the world.

After a show one night, a Persian man showed up at his tent and asked him in awkward Russian if he would come to Persia and work for the shah. They talked for a while until the Persian became confused and slipped into speaking Persian. Erik then asked in flawless Persian what he would get out of it.

The Persian answered, "You would have power."

"Only for a short time, though."

"Yes, but during that time your word would be law."

The Jedi didn't get to see Erik's response to this, for the screen suddenly turned off. Erik had woken up.

The Jedi rushed to the room where Erik was. Erik was furious, and when the Jedi got there, he demanded to know where he was and where Jennifer was. Luckily for the Jedi, they had taken his weapons and his cloak away while he was still unconscious, and, after all, he was still not well enough to stand up. Katrina answered him. "You had a heart attack. You're on Dantooine now." Erik demanded again, "Where is my wife?"

Tiffany answered, "We don't know."

Erik said, "I remember now where she is. She is on Korriban, and she is in pain."

Erik glanced over at the machine and figured out its purpose. "You have been looking at my memories."

All of the Jedi said, "We need to know that you have not hurt Jennifer."

Erik was furious, but tried to contain his anger. These people were Jennifer's friends, so he didn't want to hurt them if he could avoid it. After all, they seemed to have good intentions. Then Erik realized that this could perhaps be the only way to prove to them that he had not hurt Jennifer at all.

Erik sighed. "You ought to know that I have never harmed Jennifer, and that I never will harm Jennifer. But if this is the only way that I can prove it to you, and if you will afterwards let me go find her and then leave us alone and try to convince the authorities back in your world that I have never hurt her, then you may watch my memories, but only the memories which involve Jennifer."

Brad, the only person there without Force powers, said, "You had a heart attack. You probably should rest for a long while before you try to rescue her."

"I feel much better now. Just look at my memories and let me go find her."

Kelly said, "We need to heal you more first."

Vincent said, "You won't really be able to help her if you have another heart attack when you get to Korriban."

Dr. Evans said, recalling memories that were not hers but belonged to her character in this story, "The Force healing is more efficient than the medicine in our world. He should have fully recovered in a week or two."

Brad thought that Erik should eat something, so he found some food and offered it to him. Erik declined, but Brad said, "Eating something now and then may help you become healthier." Erik only wanted to get well as soon as he could so that he could rescue Jennifer, so he took the food and ate it.

The Jedi told him that they would look at his memories soon, and that he should rest for a while first.

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	45. Mockery

A/N: I'm sorry that it took me longer to post this, and that it's so short.

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A few hours later, Jennifer again woke up, and realized that she must have fallen asleep while she was crying. HK-47 was there again, and he took her to the rectangular room in which she had been tortured the day before and strapped her into the chair in the center. Then he put the neural restraint on her head and left the room, and she immediately began to struggle against it. 

This time, Jennifer didn't have to wait for a few hours for the sultana to come. A few minutes after she was strapped into the chair, Matt and Kevin came in and stood on opposite sides of the chair, and the sultana announced her presence from behind the invisible window.

The sultana said, "So, you haven't slept with Erik yet?"

"I haven't."

"Why not? Don't you want to be a good little wife?"

Now Jennifer was beginning to overcome the neural restraint. Still, the best answer she could come up with was silence. She didn't want to make it any easier for the sultana to mock her.

Matt said, "I saw them lying in the same bed."

The sultana questioned Jennifer again, "Are you sure that you haven't yet consummated your marriage to Erik?"

"I'm sure."

Kevin prompted, "We've seen him drug her…"

The sultana smirked and laughed, "Oh, he's drugged her!" Then she asked Jennifer, "How can you be sure that Erik didn't just have his way with you while you were drugged?"

"I'm sure because I trust him."

The sultana laughed at Jennifer again. "He is not trustworthy. That's probably why he married you. He wanted a girl young and naïve enough to actually trust him."

Jennifer wanted to yell that it wasn't true, but she had overcome the neural restraint enough to realize that answering the sultana would only cause her to mock her more. The sultana took her silence as inability to find an answer and smirked. Then she ordered Matt and Kevin to torture Jennifer again.

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	46. Observations and Pain

A/N: Please read and review!

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Meanwhile, Erik was trying to rest. He had managed to get an hour or so of sleep, and he had even eaten the food that Brad gave him, all in the hopes that he would recover sooner and be able to rescue Jennifer as soon as possible. He could sense Jennifer through the Force, and he could tell that she was quite far away and that she was in pain. He wanted to kill whoever had taken her from him and had dared to hurt her.

Erik's thoughts were interrupted when some of the Jedi and Brad entered the room. They told him that they were ready to look at his memories that involved Jennifer. Erik nodded, and they set up the machine. Then they went into the room with the screen so that they could watch his memories.

Erik focused on making sure that they could only see the memories starting at the time right before he met Jennifer, and then resumed resting.

In the other room, the Jedi started watching a memory in which Erik was in his lair. He was browsing through the pages of a tome. "The Story Seeker 1881" was inscribed on the spine and cover in golden lettering. One particular page caught his eye: the page that lead to the students' story in 2005. He set the book down on a table and went off.

He went across the lake and went up to the world above through the Rue Scribe entrance. He made sure that his false nose was on securely and pulled the cowl of his cloak over his face. Then he proceeded to walk to a bank.

He immediately walked to the desk where one banker was sitting. He had deposited more than 40,000 francs there a few days before, but now he had instructions to give to the banker. He told the banker to make sure that his account would not be closed even if it wasn't touched for two hundred years and to make sure that it collected interest. The banker agreed after Erik bribed him. With that taken care of, Erik headed back to his lair.

Back in his lair, Erik made his final preparations to leave. When he was ready, he activated the Story Seeker. It told him that some of his items may be transferred to the story he would enter. Erik nodded, and the brilliant white light surrounded him.

When his eyes opened, he thought that nothing had changed. He thought, "Perhaps I should quit the morphine…" This thought was interrupted when he noticed a passageway that hadn't been there before. He walked through the passageway.

After a while, he reached what seemed to be the end. Upon closer observation, Erik realized that it was the backing to a mirror. He pulled it away and realized that he could see through the mirror.

It wasn't a full-length mirror, but it was pretty big lengthwise. If he looked from different angles, he could just barely see the entire room, which had yellow walls, yellow curtains, was rather messy, and was lit only by a lamp sitting on the dresser right by the mirror.

What most surprised him was the sight of a young girl, perhaps eleven or twelve years old, sleeping peacefully under a yellow blanket on a bed with yellow sheets, clutching a book in her left hand.

Erik observed the walls of the room, which had several posters. One had an owl carrying a letter depicted on it and said "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Below that, it said, "November 16, 2001." Erik thought, "Is it really 2001?" Noticing the date on a "Harry Potter" calendar on her wall, he amended that thought. "No, it is May 2002."

Erik glanced at the other posters that adorned the walls. One had pictures of many different species of whales. Another had all sorts of weird creatures, people, and machines on it and said, "Star Wars." Several other posters said, "Lego" and had many people and things that looked as though they were made of tiny bricks. A few other posters had many bizarre-looking creatures on them and were labeled, "Pokemon", "Digimon", and "Dragon Warrior Monsters 2."

Suddenly, Erik heard a beeping noise that seemed to becoming from a box-like object sitting on the dresser. The girl stirred and tiredly walked to the dresser, and Erik observed that she was wearing purple pajamas. She hit a button on the box, which stopped the beeping, opened the drawers of the dresser, and picked out clothes. Then she left the room. Erik then opened the mirror slightly and examined the box-like object. He realized that it must be some sort of timepiece, but it had no hands and no face, and all the clocks he had seen did. It only had red numbers that changed somehow after every minute. Erik heard footsteps coming towards the room, so he put the alarm clock back and closed the mirror.

Just as he had finished closing the mirror, the girl entered the room. She walked in front of the mirror and examined her face, not knowing that the man behind her mirror was doing the same thing. Erik observed that her complexion was very fair, and that her hair was untidy and was about the color of chocolate. Her eyes were brown, and she looked as though she had been crying recently. She was dressed all in black, and her t-shirt had a picture of a short, green man and read "Invader Zim." A sigh interrupted Erik's thoughts, and he saw the girl turn off the lamp and leave the room.

Erik then noticed a book on the dresser. The cover was red, and the pages were the color of gold. He reopened the mirror and opened the book to the first page. Realizing that it was a diary, he only read the first few words in order to find out her name.

"_Jennifer_," he thought.

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On Korriban, the sultana had finally ordered the twins to stop torturing Jennifer several hours after they had started. The twins left the room, and HK-47 removed the neural restraint and escorted her back to the kolto tank. Jennifer was so exhausted and in pain that she didn't even have the energy to cry before she fell asleep. 


	47. Memories part 4

The Jedi and Brad continued to observe Erik's memories.

After Jennifer had left, Erik had put the diary back on the dresser and retreated back to his lair. After that he began to compose a new song, inspired by Jennifer. He still didn't know why he was inspired by her, but he was all the same.

After almost three years had passed, Erik had gained an accomplice or two, retrieved his money from the bank plus over one hundred years worth of interest, and designed many musical compositions and architectural designs, which he sold for considerable amounts of money. His work was especially popular with the upper classes, and he soon found himself a multibillionaire.

Every night, he traveled through the corridor to Jennifer's room and watched her sleep. He wasn't quite sure why he kept going to see her, but he couldn't help it.

One night, something changed everything. Erik noticed that her reading material for that night had a mask on it. He climbed out from behind the mirror. Jennifer's two cats, which Erik had met around the time that Jennifer had gotten them, came to rub his legs and purr. After he petted them, he walked over to Jennifer's bed and gently pried it from her hands. It was the libretto to "The Phantom of the Opera."

Erik was surprised. He hadn't known that there was a musical about him. He skimmed the libretto, and then put it back in Jennifer's hands carefully, so as not to wake her. Although the libretto was not entirely accurate about his life, it still brought back many painful memories, and he had tears in his eyes from remembering Christine.

A few weeks later, around her fifteenth birthday, Jennifer was reading a book by the same title. When she was asleep, he did the same thing that he had done with the libretto. While skimming it, he realized that this book was more accurate regarding his life than the musical was. After that night, he made a decision to try to teach Jennifer about music. He had heard her sing before. Her voice was pure, but Jennifer had little expression and practically no projection. He also knew that she was interested in music by watching her practice for an audition for the All-State chorus. She had apparently passed the musicianship test and the sight-reading test, but had failed the vocal audition.

The next night, Erik projected his voice so that it filled her entire room but could not be heard from outside the room. She was obviously startled, but Erik offered her voice lessons, and she hesitantly accepted. She had seemed to be enthralled by his voice from the first moment that she had heard it.

Two months of these lessons passed before Erik realized what he felt for her. He realized that he might be in love with her. He definitely loved her as a student, for she was diligent and eager to learn, but he wasn't sure whether or not he was actually _in_ love with her.

A month after that, he realized that he did. She was no longer the child that she was when he had first seen her. She had grown, and he thought that she was lovely. Her voice had improved drastically, as well, and she seemed to be happier since their lessons had begun.

The Jedi and Brad watched the events that had occurred since the Story Seeker had appeared in their classroom from his perspective, and it revealed a few things to them. Erik had tampered with the Story Seeker so that it would automatically let Jennifer pick the first story, as he knew that she would choose his.

They saw all of the events that had happened while the class was in the torture chamber. The way Jennifer described these events to Kelly and Brad was proven accurate, but now they could see the events from a different point of view. They saw Erik leaving them the notes, saw him murder their classmates, and watched the relationship between Erik and Jennifer grow.

Then they watched the wedding. After the class had left, Erik had brought Jennifer, Nadir, and Kelly to a church, the Madeleine. There was a priest there waiting to perform the ceremony and make it official. The scene was just the way Kelly had remembered it to be: very romantic. The watching Jedi could practically feel Erik's bliss as the couple made their vows and kissed for the first time, with Erik kneeling because of the significant height difference between him and Jennifer.

They watched the rest of his memories all the way through until the present and concluded that, as Erik had said, he had never hurt or raped Jennifer. They decided to let Erik go as soon as he was well enough to leave.

Kelly then discovered that she was adept at healing with the Force. She went to Erik's room and healed his heart, and that night he was well enough to stand and to walk. Brad was again able to persuade the phantom to eat a healthy meal, and early the next morning Erik felt that he was ready to go. The Jedi allowed Erik to use the interstellar pod-racer that Brad had invented, and Erik departed for Korriban.

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	48. Old Enemies

A/N: Please read, enjoy, and review!

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When Jennifer woke up, it was around noon the next day. HK-47 entered the room and stated that Erik was coming and that she would be given a chance to shower before he arrived. He brought her to a very pink bathroom and left her there after pointing out a dresser with the clothes she could wear after her shower.

Remembering that there were security cameras all over the place, she searched the room thoroughly and was relieved to find that there were none.

After she took her shower and dried off, she found that her clothing had disappeared. Only the cape which Erik had made her was left. She dried herself off and walked to the dresser.

The clothes that she found in the dresser did not at all suit her modest tastes. She found the least demeaning dress in the dresser. It was more revealing than what she usually wore to go swimming (She usually wore a one-piece bathing suit with a cover "swim-dress" over it). The length of the dress was about as long as her swim-dress was, but it was far more low-cut. Jennifer was mortified, but it was the least revealing outfit in the dresser. She put her cape on over it, and knocked on the door to let HK-47 know that she was finished.

Then HK-47 escorted her to a room with a huge square bed, completely covered in red, in the center. He informed her that this would be where she would stay after Erik arrived and that she would be waiting her until his arrival. Then he pushed her onto the bed and left, locking the door behind him.

Then Jennifer felt cold metal bind her hands above her head and restrain her feet. The cold metal also covered her mouth. She shivered before she lost consciousness.

* * *

When Erik arrived on Korriban, he was greeted by Matt and Kevin. They started fighting, until the sultana yelled for Matt and Kevin to extinguish their lightsabers. She added, "And unless you want your little wife to die, Erik, I suggest you do the same." At the moment she said that, a computer monitor near Erik showed him Jennifer. She looked starving and tortured, but he could tell that she was still breathing.

Not wanting her to be hurt, he sighed and extinguished his lightsabers. The sultana smirked from behind the curtain and ordered Matt and Kevin to take his lightsabers and any other weapons he may have on his person. Erik felt like mauling them, but he knew that the sultana would have Jennifer killed if he did any such thing, and, besides, he still felt weak from his heart attack.

Instead, he handed over his lightsabers and allowed the twins to search him for weapons. His only weapons were in his cloak, so they took his cloak and pulled out all of the weapons. After a rather comical scene in which Matt and Kevin pulled every weapon out of his cloak, there was a huge pile of weapons on the floor. Erik was apparently carrying hundreds of blades of various sizes, many vials of various chemicals, several of his trademark weapon, the Punjab lasso, and several guns and grenades.

Matt asked, irritated, "How many weapons do you have?"

The sultana said, "Never mind that. Just keep his cloak from him, so that we can move on to more important matters. Erik, I want you to entertain as you used to. In return, you will have your little wife, and she will be safe as long as I am pleased with your work." Seeing the defiance in Erik's eyes, she added quickly, "If you refuse these terms, then Jennifer shall be killed."

Erik was furious, but he nodded. He just wanted to be with Jennifer again, and for her to be safe. The sultana smirked and said, "Now, take off your mask."

Now Erik was shaking with anger. He said, "No!"

"Erik, you remember the threat I made you the first time you refused to take off your mask for me? That threat still stands. Would you like to carry your genitals around in a small jar of brine?"

"Are you so certain that a _small_ jar would contain me, madame?"

"With you, I can be certain of nothing. But, Erik, take off your mask before your joke's amusement wears off and I remember that I could have your little wife killed at any time."

Erik took the mask off. The sultana smirked. "Good. Matt, take it from him." Matt took Erik's mask from him. The sultana pointed out HK-47, who was now standing against the back wall of the room, and told Erik that he would escort him to his room, where he would be reunited with Jennifer.


	49. Reunited

A/N: I'm sorry that this update has taken so long, but I wanted this chapter to be a relatively long one. Please read, enjoy, and review!

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When Jennifer regained consciousness, she could still feel the cold metal restraining her. She was freezing in the tiny outfit that had been provided to her. Her cape helped, but only a little bit, as the room would have been cold to her even without the frigid metal.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened. Jennifer squinted at the sudden introduction of light, as the room had no lights on. She saw two figures; one, she could tell, was HK-47 and the other- could it be? - was Erik!

Jennifer wanted to call out to him, but remembered the cold metal that was gagging her. Right before HK-47 turned on the lights, Erik came to the bed and removed the cold metal restraints. Then the couple greeted each other with a passionate kiss.

After a while, Erik noticed and Jennifer remembered, at the same instance, what Jennifer had been forced to wear. They both blushed deeply, and as Erik's mask was off, Jennifer could see his blush as well as he could see hers. Erik helped her up from the bed and offered her his coat. She nodded, and he handed it to her. She removed her cape and put the jacket on over the scanty dress and buttoned it all the way up, and she was relieved to find that it extended all the way down past her knees. Then she wrapped the cape around herself, and felt much better and warmer. She hugged Erik and thanked him, and he smiled.

They were silent for a moment, until Jennifer's stomach growled. Erik said with suppressed fury that was directed at the sultana, "Have they not even given you food?"

"No, they haven't."

Erik then noticed the burn marks from the Force lightning torture that had been inflicted on Jennifer. Jennifer thought his face looked saddened and enraged all at once, and Erik embraced her and stroked her hair, and said gently and sadly, "My poor angel! What have they done to you?"

She opened her mouth as if to answer his question, but he said quickly, "No. Do not answer that yet. I shall fetch you some food first."

Erik approached HK-47 and said, "My wife requires food."

"Irritated Response: I will fetch some then, master. The sultana ordered that I am your droid now. I would like to inform you that I have an extremely efficient assassin protocol should you ever wish to activate it."

Erik nodded. "For now, just get some food."

"Yes, master."

Erik went to comfort Jennifer, who seemed sad even though she was happy to be with Erik again. A few minutes later, HK-47 walked in with a tray of food. He handed it to Erik and informed him that there was an adjoining room which contained a small library. Erik nodded and dismissed him and placed the tray on a desk and motioned for Jennifer to sit at it.

Jennifer didn't need to be told twice, and began to consume the meal with a ravenous hunger, which was to be expected considering that she hadn't eaten for days. She ate two bowls of broccoli and cheese soup, a ham and cheese sandwich, a banana, and three glasses of apple juice before she stopped eating. Then she asked Erik, "Are you going to eat anything?"

Erik could tell that she really wanted him to eat something, so he took and ate an apple. Then he said, "I don't eat often, but I eat enough to survive. I only really need to eat one meal every few days to live, but if you really want me to eat, I will."

"Thank you, Erik. Can we look at the library now?"

Erik nodded and they held hands as they walked to the door of the library. They walked in to find that it was indeed a small library. However, Erik stated that it would be sufficient for their lessons, which would resume the next day.

There were only books in Latin and in Persian. Jennifer could read many of the Latin titles, as she had been taking Latin in school before she had left with Erik, but she had practically no idea what the Persian titles said.

Erik and Jennifer sat down on the sofa and talked about all that had happened to them in the time that they had been separated. Erik told Jennifer about the battle on Kashyyyk and about his heart attack. Jennifer leaned against his shoulder and said, "Erik, are you going to take care of yourself now?"

Erik smirked. "Why? You could be a widow in a matter of months, and then you'd be free."

Jennifer started to cry and Erik stopped smirking. Jennifer said, "Erik, I don't want you to die, and I don't want to be free!"

Erik stroked her back and said gently, "I know, my dear. Yes, I will try to take better care of myself. What have they done to you?"

Jennifer told him and, he noticed that she had fresh tears in her eyes. After she had told him everything that they had done and said to her, Erik was enraged at the sultana, Matt, and Kevin. He turned Jennifer's face up to look into his and said, "Jennifer, you can't believe anything they said. I would never ask _that_ of you, and the suggestion that you'd have to do _that_ in order to be a good wife is ridiculous. Why, you are the perfect wife already! Here, come closer!"

Jennifer obeyed him immediately, and Erik began to wipe her tears away. He said, "You see, you can't believe a word that they said. If it will make you feel better, I will give you many reasons that you're the perfect wife to me. For one thing, you have already given me the perfect example. You are so obedient and devoted, and you always do as I say without question. You are also very intelligent for your age. You learn things quickly when I teach you, and you are also very diligent. You…you love me, and you express that to me without fear, like when you kissed…my forehead…all by yourself! And not only did you not die, I didn't even have to ask you! Yes, I know that you are so young, and…and I'm beginning to feel…bad, for taking you away from everything that you knew at such a young age. And…and you are so beautiful…"

After he said that, Jennifer said softly, "No, I'm not."

Erik said, "That's nonsense! You are very beautiful. Has no one ever told you that before?"

Jennifer answered, "If they had, I wouldn't have believed them."

Erik pulled her closer and said, "Well, I want you to believe it now, all right?"

Jennifer nodded, and Erik said, "Very well. It is late now, and you need your rest. Would you like me to sing you to sleep?"

Jennifer nodded, and he carried her to the bed. They lay down on the bed in each other's arms and Erik sang her to sleep.


	50. Twelve Hours

A/N: Now that the holidaybreak is almost here, Ishould be able to update a little bit more often. Anyway,please read,enjoy, and review.

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In her room, the sultana had been watching the entire reunion of Erik and Jennifer on a television screen. She was laughing and was extremely amused. She said, "How amusing! The girl's self-image is down, and she _actually_ seems to _love_ _him_. And he gave her his coat! What a well-mannered cadaver!"

The sultana chuckled. "Well, perhaps I will let them have tomorrow together before I call Erik in to amuse me. For the moment, watching them is entertainment enough."

She called in HK-47 and told him to inform them that Erik would be expected to report to her the next evening.

* * *

When Jennifer woke up, Erik was already awake. He said, "Good morning" and kissed her lightly on the top of her head. She smiled and said drowsily, "Good morning, Erik. You're a nice pillow." Erik smirked, as she removed her head from its resting place on top of his chest.

Suddenly, the door opened and HK-47 walked in looking disgruntled and carrying a tray of food. He placed the tray on the desk and announced, "Declaration: Erik will be required to report to the sultana at 7:00 PM tonight." Then HK-47 left quickly.

Jennifer asked Erik, "What time is it now?"

"Around 7:00 AM. We have twelve hours to spend together. Are you hungry for breakfast?"

"Yes, I am. I wonder what HK-47 brought."  
Jennifer removed the cover on the tray and saw that he had brought bacon, eggs, and fresh fruit. She and Erik both sat down at the desk, and began to eat. Erik was glad that there was a cup of Russian tea on the tray, as well. Erik drank his tea and decided to have a few pieces of fruit and a slice of bacon as well. Jennifer ate the rest of the bacon and some of the eggs and washed it all down with a glass of milk.

After breakfast, they went into the library and sat down on the sofa. Before they started the lesson, though, Erik had something that he needed to talk about.

Erik said, "My dear, I feel that I need to discuss something with you. I need to tell you of this, even though I fear that you will not understand and that it may frighten you. Do you recall what we were talking about last night?"

Jennifer nodded. Erik continued, "And do you remember my opera and… and the desires it expresses?"

Jennifer looked slightly confused, but nodded. Erik continued, "Well, I wanted to make sure that you knew that I…I have such desires, and they are difficult to completely control."

Jennifer looked somewhat frightened, but Erik said, "My dear, it is nothing to be frightened of! It is just that I want you to be prepared should I lose control of myself. There is a bolt on this door. If I do lose control- and I will likely be able to warn you- use it to keep yourself safe."

Jennifer looked very confused and frightened and said, "Is there any way that I can help you to control yourself?"

Erik took her hand in his and said gently, "My dear, you already do. Not all of these desires are carnal. Honestly, some are, but most of what I want is to be loved for myself, and…you love me! You make me so happy, simply by staying near me. That is enough. I…I know that my physical desires will never be met…that you will likely never want to…consummate our marriage…but as long as my desire to be loved is fulfilled- and you have fulfilled it- I will be able to keep those…other desires contained."

Jennifer looked into Erik's face. Although she could scarcely see his deep-set pupils, she could see that his eyes were watering, and she could feel tears beginning to form in her own brown eyes. She squeezed his hand lightly and said softly, "Erik, I never said '_never_.' I'm just not ready yet. I mean, we're married, so _someday_ it would be fine, when I'm older and more mature and when I feel that I'm ready. I want to talk about something else now, though, okay?"

Erik had stopped crying, held her other hand, too, and nodded. Jennifer continued, "I love you, Erik. The compliments you gave me last night, when you called me _beautiful,_"-Jennifer blushed-"you really boosted my self-esteem, and now I want to tell you how you're the perfect husband to me. First off, you're so patient and gentle with me, and you're so romantic. And you're such a genius, and you teach me so much! You take such excellent care of me, and you're so amazing, Erik."

Erik wasn't quite sure what to say, but he said, "You…you are saying that I am the perfect husband?"

Jennifer answered, "Yes, you practically are. The only thing that you should improve upon is your sense of morals, and I can tell that you have tried very hard, and that you are improving in that regard. Anyway, I know that anyone whom you have killed recently you have killed in defense, either of me or of yourself, and I know that that is very different from killing for other reasons. So, yes, other than that, you are the perfect husband, and I love you so much."

They both smiled, and they cuddled on the sofa until ten o' clock in the morning, when Erik decided that they should start their lessons. He taught her more about the Latin and Persian languages, and he also taught her a little bit about geometry and algebra before HK-47 arrived with their lunch.

They went back into the bedroom and sat at the desk when lunch arrived. Jennifer had a glass of milk, a banana, and a turkey sandwich, and Erik had a banana and a tiny turkey sandwich as well as his glass of Russian tea. They talked for a while and then began their music lesson around two o' clock. Erik taught her about music theory, and then they sang until dinner arrived around six. Jennifer had beef raviolis, a small bowl of corn, and a glass of milk, and Erik just drank his Russian tea and had a little bit of corn. They kissed, and then Erik left with HK-47 to report to the sultana.

Jennifer tried to read a book from the library that was written in Latin, and had moderate success. Then she went to sleep around eight.


	51. In the Arena

A/N: This chapter is slightly shorter than usual, but it's significantly more action-packed (and violent) than the recent chapters. Please read, review, and enjoy!

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When Erik arrived at the sultana's room, the sultana was standing behind a red curtain. She said that her soldiers had captured a merchant ship, and that she wanted him to fight with them one by one to amuse her. HK-47 brought him to an arena and handed him his Punjab lasso. Then HK-47 left and Erik was left alone in the dark chamber until his opponent was escorted in on the opposite side of the arena.

Erik's opponent was a Devaronian male who was far more than a foot shorter than Erik and was armed only with a small blade. According to The Essential Guide to Alien Species by Ann Margaret Lewis, "Devaronian males, with their reddish skin, sharp teeth, and horns, resemble images of malicious beings from other cultures." This one, like many of the males of his species, had fallen prey to wanderlust, and thus was on the merchant ship that had been captured by the Sith. He seemed confused about his location and seemed to only see Erik's yellow eyes burning in the darkness. Erik thought, "Perhaps I shall have the advantage here." Both of the combatants heard the sultana's voice, and Erik knew that she must be watching them through an invisible window of the kind that he had invented. She said, "You may begin. Please make this amusing."

At the very beginning of the battle, Erik used the Force to pull away his opponent's weapon. Then Erik readied his rope of catgut.

He was glad to be reunited with his Punjab lasso, and enjoyed the feel of the material under his fingers. While he had been preparing his weapon of choice, the Devaronian had somehow managed to find his blade, and was lunging towards the yellow eyes when, with a flick of his wrist, Erik had the Punjab lasso around his neck.

Not wanting to cause the unfortunate alien any more suffering than necessary, Erik killed him as quickly as he could, and then the lights of the arena were turned on at a dim setting. Erik's eyes struggled to adjust to the light, and, when he heard the sultana's voice, he turned towards the spot where the invisible window was most likely to be.

The sultana clapped and said, "Bravo! That was magnificent, although perhaps I shall have to find a tougher opponent for you. You didn't even break a sweat, did you, Erik?"

Erik said with irritation, "No, madame. Now, may I return to my wife?"

The sultana said, "No. I wish to speak with you, and then I have another task for you. How is it that you managed to force that little girl to marry you?"

Erik growled, "I didn't force her into marriage. We are in love."

The sultana laughed and said, "I find it difficult to believe that she would marry you entirely of her own free will. Are you certain that there was no blackmail, malicious threat, or deception on your part?"

Erik answered, "Perhaps there was, but afterwards, when I offered to let her go, she _chose_ to stay with me."

The sultana said, "Very well, that is enough of that conversation for now. I wish for you to design a new torture chamber for my amusement. You will work on the design now, and you will be allowed to be with your little wife later."

HK-47 entered the arena, and the sultana said, "Please hand over the Punjab lasso to HK-47, and do not think of doing anything sneaky. You need to remember that, at the push of a button, I could have your dear little wife killed."

Remembering the potential danger that his wife could be in, Erik relinquished the rope to HK-47, who gave him some blank sheets of paper and a pencil so that he could draw his designs. Erik worked on designing the new room until four in the morning, when the sultana said that he could leave.

HK-47 escorted him back to the bedroom, and Erik was relieved to see Jennifer sleeping relatively peacefully on the large red bed. Erik found that he was slightly sleepy and lay down on the bed near to, but not touching, Jennifer.


	52. Another Twelve Hours

A/N: Please read, review, and enjoy!

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When Jennifer woke up the next morning, she drowsily kissed his cheek. He was already awake, and he reacted by kissing her forehead.

Suddenly, Jennifer paled. She timidly asked, "Erik, is that…blood on your hand?"

Erik examined his hands. Indeed, there was blood on his hands, and it didn't appear to be human blood. It must have splattered from that Devaronian when he strangled him…

Erik cautiously answered, "Yes, my dear. It was from my…assignment last night."

"What happened?"

"I…it was necessary! I had to kill him, or the sultana could have had you harmed!"

"You…killed someone else?"  
"Yes, but, like I said, it was necessary, and, besides, I made his death as painless and quick as I could!"

Erik went to the small bathroom that was attached to their room and washed his hands. When he returned, Jennifer was shivering and tears were streaming down her face. Erik sat down next to her and put one arm around her. He said, "My dear, please don't be frightened."

Jennifer leaned her head on his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, I just…I hate it when people get hurt or killed, and I hate it even more when _you_ kill! I…I understand that it's more so the sultana's fault, and that you really didn't have much of a choice, and that it's different to kill people out of defense…but what happened?"

Erik decided to tell her. "HK-47 brought me to an arena. I was told that I would have to fight someone, and given my Punjab lasso. Then, well…we fought, and, as I said before, I made my opponent's death as painless as I could. I'm sorry that I scared you. I…I do want to be good, but I really don't understand morals. They may get in the way here, but I want to understand. Can you explain it to me?"

"Erik, I'm not really sure where to start. What do you know already?"

"I know that rape, suicide, and harming helpless women are wrong."

"That's …a start, Erik."

For half of an hour, Jennifer attempted to teach Erik right from wrong, but he didn't seem to completely understand everything that she said. Nevertheless, he said that he now had a better understanding of morals than he did before, although perhaps only minimally.

Just then, HK-47 entered the room with a tray and informed them that Erik would again have to report to the sultana in twelve hours. He placed the tray on the desk and made to leave, when Erik asked, "Could you fetch some _decent_ clothing for my wife?"

HK-47 acknowledged his command and left.

They sat down to eat breakfast, and Erik and Jennifer each had a bagel. Jennifer had a cup of hot chocolate, and Erik drank a cup of Russian tea. Jennifer also had half of an orange.

When they were done eating, Erik suddenly wanted to kiss her. He said timidly, "My dear, could I…may I…kiss you…on the lips?"

Jennifer was slightly unnerved that he had asked her, but said, "Yes, of course, Erik!"

He kissed her on the lips, timidly at first, but then the kiss became more passionate. Eventually the kiss was broken because they had to catch their breath. Then HK-47 came in, pushing a wardrobe in front of him. Erik dismissed HK-47, and he left.

Jennifer opened the wardrobe to find that, to her delight, this clothing was actually decent, although they seemed to be a size or two too big for her. The contents of the wardrobe consisted of tunics of varying colors and black pairs of pants. Jennifer picked out some clothes, hugged Erik, and went into the tiny bathroom to change.

When she came out wearing the black pants and a dark green tunic, she and Erik kissed again, and then she remarked, "It seems like it's been ages since I've worn pants! I used to never wear anything other than pants. It's kind of a relief. Are we going to have a lesson now?"

Erik smiled and said, "Yes. I'm very glad that you're happy. Before I forget, though, I would like to tell you that I found a school that will accept my terms and grant you a diploma after I teach you. It will take less time than your high school would, anyway."

Jennifer smiled and thanked him and they hugged.

The rest of the twelve hours were spent just as they had been the previous day. They had their lessons on various academic subjects before lunch, and after lunch they had their music lessons. After they ate a dinner of ham sandwiches, (Erik actually ate half of one!) Erik departed with HK-47 to report to the sultana.

* * *

In the Jedi enclave on Dantooine, the students were discussing what they had learned from watching Erik's memories. Dania said, "Erik had such a sad childhood."

Kelly said, "Yet he seemed really romantic when he was around Jennifer."

Brad said, "His more recent memories seem like a chick-flick. A sort of creepy, perverted, stalker chick-flick, but a chick-flick nonetheless."

Suddenly, Brad noticed that there was a transmission coming through. He realized that this transmitter and receiver was one of those holographic ones like in the Star Wars movies and that it was jammed. He and Vincent fixed it, and soon they saw the transmission, after Vincent remarked that it seemed to be days old.

It was Jennifer. Her hair looked more unkempt than usual, and they could see where her knees had been shot, although they seemed to be healing well. She said Erik's name several times and asked if he was alright, and stated that she was on Korriban. Then the transmission ended.

The students decided to tell Dr. Evans and Mr. Brown about this as soon as possible.


	53. Another Battle

Erik again walked into the arena and was given his favorite weapon. The arena was more brightly lit this time, although the lights were still dim. His opponent this time was a male Twi'lek who had pale orange skin and particularly long lekku (head-tails) of the same color. His eyes were also a pale orange, and he seemed to be approximately two meters tall, about five or six inches shorter than Erik.

Erik remembered everything that Jennifer had told her about Twi'leks, especially that they saw very well in the dark. He wouldn't have as much of an advantage this time. She had also told him about their sharp claws, and Erik observed that this one indeed had very sharp nails. He was armed with some sort of stick-like weapon.

From behind the invisible window, the sultana ordered for the fight to commence. The two began to battle, the Twi'lek using his stick and Erik using the Force. After a long while of this fighting, Erik forced the weapon out of the Twi'lek's hands and knocked him down. Then he garroted the Twi'lek.

He could hear the sultana's applause, as well as applause from Matt and Kevin. The sultana said, "Bravo, Erik! That was very entertaining, _much_ more entertaining than Matt's attempts at amusing me. Now, you should begin building the new torture chamber. Then you may return to your little wife."

HK-47 escorted him to the place where he would build the torture chamber, and he angrily set to work on building it. He imagined throwing the sultana, Kevin, and Matt into it and laughed, and that allowed him to calm down. Eventually, HK-47 received orders that Erik was dismissed, and escorted him back to his room.

When Erik entered the room, he found that Jennifer was still awake, apparently struggling to fall asleep. When she saw him enter, she got up from the bed, approached him, and hugged him. He embraced her, and asked, "My dear, are you having trouble sleeping?"

"Yes, Erik. I keep having nightmares about when I was tortured."

Erik's clenched his hands into fists and said angrily, "Those twins should have simply been grateful that they had their lives. I had no grudge against them before, but now that they have hurt you, they will know my wrath."

"Erik, don't hold a grudge against them. I…I forgive them, even though it's hard to do. Erik, remember that they are only children. They don't know what they're doing."

Both Erik and Jennifer were crying during this. Erik calmed down, and kissed her on the forehead. He said, "How is it that it's so easy for you to be good?"

"It's not always easy, Erik, but it's just…it helps to know right from wrong, and then to do the right thing. It's not always the easiest thing, but I try my best. Oh, Erik, I know that you have the potential to be good!" She buried her head in his chest and continued to cry. He stroked her hair and tried to comfort her, and said, "Yes, Jennifer, I'll try to be good, if I can. It's all right."She looked up into his golden eyes.

He asked, "Would you like me to sing you to sleep?"

She nodded, and buried her face in his chest again, and he sang her to sleep.

* * *

On Dantooine, the students had just finished showing Dr. Evans and Mr. Brown the transmission from Jennifer. Now that they knew which planet she was on, they decided to head for Korriban and, after preparing an arsenal of weapons, departed.

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I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! 


	54. The Real Battle Begins

The next morning, when Erik and Jennifer woke up, they kissed timidly but affectionately on the lips. They each said "Good morning," and smiled, and then HK-47 arrived with breakfast.

After they ate breakfast, Jennifer changed into a different outfit from the dresser that HK-47 had brought the day before. This outfit consisted of black pants and a dark grey tunic, and she also wore the cape that Erik had made for her. They hugged after she had changed in the little bathroom, and then Erik asked her if he could brush her hair. She nodded, and they talked while he brushed her hair.

After he had finished brushing her hair, they began their music lesson. Half an hour later, they were interrupted by HK-47. The droid entered and said, "Observation: Some Jedi have arrived and are attacking the defenses of this base, so now would be the ideal time to attempt to escape."

Erik considered this for a moment, wondering if it was a trap or if the Jedi from Dantooine had come to help. After a few moments, he nodded and said, "Do you know how the sultana was planning to kill my wife if I had attacked?"

"Yes, master. I had orders when I first brought her here to implant a chip into her right arm that would explode and mortally wound her if the sultana pushed a certain button."

Erik motioned for Jennifer to give him her right arm, and she did. After examining her arm carefully, he managed to see the spot where the device must have been implanted. He asked, "Do you have the means to remove this device safely?"

"Of course, master."

Erik nodded and ordered HK-47 to remove the device, and he did. Erik held Jennifer's hand while HK-47 was removing it, and she squeezed his hand tightly when it hurt. Luckily, HK-47 applied some sort of pain-relieving substance to her arm, so the pain was manageable.

After HK-47 stitched Jennifer's arm back up and handed the device to Erik, Erik placed the device on the desk and hugged Jennifer. Then he lifted her into his arms so that they could kiss (because of the significant height difference) and they kissed quite passionately. Then they left towards the place where HK-47 said that their weapons were stored, thinking that it would be a wise idea to be armed while trying to escape from Korriban.

* * *

That morning, Matt and Kevin were called from their quarters, which were located across the hall from each other, to report to the sultana. She told them that they were under attack by Jedi, and that she wanted them to make sure that Erik and Jennifer were not trying to escape. The twins grabbed their lightsabers and donned their Sith robes, which were black, and headed towards Erik and Jennifer's quarters. When they arrived they found the device that they knew had been implanted into Jennifer sitting on the desk, and realized that Erik and Jennifer were gone. Matt said, "The probably either went to the armory or to the hangar."

Kevin nodded and said, "They probably would go to the armory first, but we don't know how long ago they left."

Matt examined the device and said, "This blood hasn't dried yet, so it can't have been too long ago."

The twins decided to go to the armory.

* * *

When the Jedi and Brad arrived on Korriban, they were immediately engaged in combat with Sith guards. Some had lightsabers, and some were armed with blaster rifles, or blaster pistols, and others were equipped with other close-combat weapons, such as vibroblades or shock-sticks.

However, the Jedi managed to gain ground against the Sith. Mr. Brown used his viridian lightsaber with surprisingly amazing skill and power, and Dr. Evans fought well with her silver lightsaber. The students also fought valiantly, and Brad, the only one there without Force powers, was using a blaster rifle to shoot at the Sith guards.

Soon, the Jedi had entered the Sith base. However, as soon as they had defeated all of the Sith guards within the atrium, all of the entrances were blocked by some substance that their lightsabers couldn't easily cut through, and they realized that it would take a long while for them to get through the doors. However, they saw that they had no other choice, so they began the slow and tedious job of cutting through the doors.

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Please leave a review. Happy New Year! 


	55. Victory with a Price

A/N: It's a short update, but it's exciting. Please read, review, and enjoy!

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When Jennifer and Erik arrived at the arsenal, they grabbed their weapons and Erik put his cloak on and began to reload it with all the weapons that it had stored before. He was glad to have his cloak and Punjab lasso again, and he was also glad to have his lightsaber and all of his other weapons. Jennifer also picked up her yellow lightsaber, and, searching through the arsenal, she found a short, dagger-like lightsaber and took it, thinking that it may be useful. Activating it, she found that it was also yellow. Having found all of their weapons, Erik ordered HK-47 to go to the aid of the Jedi and to attack the sultana. HK-47 acknowledged his orders and left, and then Erik and Jennifer kissed passionately before starting to leave the arsenal.

However, Matt and Kevin arrived just then and blocked their exit. Matt's red dual-phase lightsaber and Kevin's red double-bladed lightsaber both were activated. Erik activated his own lightsaber, and Jennifer activated her lightsaber and the small lightsaber. They began to fight.

Erik used the Makashi lightsaber style, which used elegant and aggressive movements. Jennifer was using a defensive style. Matt and Kevin were both using aggressive styles. They fought for a while, eventually moving into the arena and agreeing that Matt and Erik would fight each other. Jennifer and Kevin both went into the watching area where the sultana had watched Erik fight the prisoners, and each tried to manipulate the controls to give their ally the advantage.

The arena was now filled with very bright light, and Erik's eyes were struggling to adjust to it. As a result, he was now mostly parrying Matt's attacks, and he used his ventriloquism to send a message directly into Jennifer's ear.

Jennifer heard his voice asking her to turn off the lights, and apparently Kevin had heard it, too. Jennifer was running for the switch that controlled the lights, and Kevin lunged at her with his lightsaber. His lightsaber went right through her heart, but, in the split second before the lightsaber hit her, she used the Force to hit the switch and threw her lightsaber-dagger at Kevin.

In the arena, the tide of the battle had turned. Now that the arena was dark, Erik had the advantage, and he hid in the darkness. Matt searched for him, but Erik closed his eyes (since they glowed in the dark) and deactivated his lightsaber, using the Force to sense where Matt was. Sensing that Jennifer was in danger, he found Matt quickly and slashed his legs with his lightsaber, and Matt was disabled. He pulled a cloth out from his cloak and placed it over Matt's mouth and nose, knocking him out. He dragged Matt into the room where Kevin and Jennifer were.

In the observation area, both Jennifer and Kevin were disabled. Jennifer was dead now, and her lightsaber had struck Kevin's side, causing him to collapse to the floor. Seeing that Kevin had killed Jennifer, but realizing the Matt and Kevin must have been the ones who chose this story, he angrily stabbed Kevin's arms before knocking him out with the cloth from his cloak.

He went to Jennifer's dead body, and, now sobbing hysterically, kissed her forehead before dragging Kevin and Matt to his newly-designed torture chamber.


	56. Force Lightning

I'm sorry that this update took so long, and it is also relatively short.

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While the Jedi were cutting through the door, they suddenly heard the voice of a robot say, "Request: Please stand clear of the door so that I can open it." The Jedi and Brad stood back from the door and they heard the noise of a flamethrower, and then the robot's voice again.

"I have scorched the control panel for the door. It will open momentarily."

Indeed, the door opened after about a minute of waiting. The Jedi and Brad saw HK-47 standing there, and noticed that there indeed was a flamethrower built into his arm. Brad recognized him as the robot that had killed his classmates and taken Jennifer to Korriban. He asked HK-47 why he was helping them, and he simply stated that his new master had ordered him to. The Jedi asked him who his new master was. The robot answered, "Erik."

* * *

When Matt and Kevin regained consciousness, they were in the same room that they had tortured Jennifer in, strapped into two separate chairs that were identical to the chair that Jennifer had been strapped into. Now, however, they noticed that the walls were covered in mirrors.

Kevin had been dead before the torture chamber in the fifth cellar of the Opera House, but Matt, despite the delirious condition that he had been in at the time, remembered only too well what that torture chamber could do.

The twins then heard Erik's voice speaking with the calm tone that he always used when he was at the peak of insanity. "Welcome, messieurs! I believe you are well aware that I was designing a new torture chamber for the sultana. Well, it is completed now, and it is waiting for its first victims!"

Erik walked across the room. "But it will have to wait a little while longer, for Erik wants his revenge first! The thing is, I am not certain of the voltage that you used on her. Well, I suppose trial and error will have to do."

Erik tried out his Force lightning for the first time at a relatively low voltage that was enough to make the twins very uncomfortable. He muttered, "No, the voltage was much higher than that! It was enough to cause her some painful burns, not to mention give her nightmares!"

He tried again at a slightly higher voltage, and declared, "No! I am sure it was higher than that!"

He kept up this pattern until Matt and Kevin were nearly dead, and he then remembered that he could not kill them. He then said, "There is a way out of this, you know. You would only have to concentrate on your story. We could all leave Star Wars, and then I would not pursue you."

The twins gave no intelligible response, and Erik raged, "You foolish children! You should have been satisfied to have your lives back! Instead you dared to involve my dear innocent wife in this! She did nothing wrong to you! In fact, even after you had tortured her, she insisted that she forgave you, and pleaded with me not to seek revenge upon you! I would have listened to her, too, you ignorant fools, if you hadn't killed her! But now, if you are not ready to go back I will have my revenge. Erik will take every pain you ever caused her and return it _tenfold_!"

The twins made some sign of comprehension, and Erik said, "Ah, good, you understand! Well, if you do not choose to leave this story and bring my dear wife back to life, I will test my new torture chamber on you! I will give you an hour to recover."

With that, he swirled his cape around himself and vanished from the room.

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Please review! 


	57. The Return Home

After the Jedi had gone passed the door, HK-47 started to leave them, saying that he had additional orders from Erik. The Jedi asked him where Erik was, and he pointed in the direction of the torture chamber. The Jedi headed off in that direction.

On the way there, they encountered more Sith soldiers. These ones all had lightsabers, and were significantly tougher than the soldiers they had faced before.

The Jedi all fought valiantly and managed to defeat all of the enemy soldiers, but Vincent was mortally wounded in the struggle. Kelly tried to save him with her healing powers, but she was unsuccessful and he perished a minute or so after the skirmish was over.

The Jedi proceeded towards the torture chamber, some of them with tears in their eyes. They found the door to the observation room, and entered the now dimly lit room to find Erik weeping inconsolably on the floor next to a dead body.

The Jedi and Brad soon realized that the dead body belonged to Jennifer.

Erik heard their approach and stood up, saying with a combination of grief and violent anger in his voice, "They killed my dear little Jennifer."

Dania asked him, "Who killed her?"

"Kevin. He and his brother both tortured her before I came here, and now Kevin has killed her, my poor little angel."

He turned to face them. They saw that he didn't have his mask on, and in the darkness of the room they could see in his sunken golden eyes the unbearable pain and unstoppable wrath that he was feeling.

Katrina asked, "Where are Matt and Kevin now?"

"They are in my new torture chamber. I have given them a choice of whether or not I will use it on them. Their time is almost up. If they do not choose to return to their story…your story…soon, I will turn it on and test it on them."

Brad said, "But the Story Seeker requires three people to go back, and one of them had to have chosen the story."

"I believe that Matt and Kevin were the ones who chose the story. As to the requirement of three people from the class, perhaps some of you should go down there and convince them to leave."

Kelly, Tiffany, and Katrina agreed to do so. As they entered the dark mirrored chamber, they saw that Matt and Kevin were seriously injured and struggling to maintain consciousness. They approached them, and Kelly used her healing powers to make it so that they weren't in too much pain to think, and Katrina and Tiffany reminded them of what Erik had told them to do, and of his threat to turn on the torture chamber.

The twins thought about it and realized that they should go back to their story. All of the students focused on their classroom, and the familiar white light surrounded them.

* * *

On their island, Erik and Jennifer opened their eyes to find the familiar surroundings of Erik's airplane. They were sitting on the piano bench where they had been having their music lesson before the students had entered Star Wars. It had seemed like weeks to them, but, by the rules of the Story Seeker, only three hours had passed.

Both of them had tears in their eyes, and they embraced each other affectionately. They stayed like that for half an hour without any words spoken between them, until Erik said, "Would you like to take a stroll along the beach?"

Jennifer nodded, and Erik put on his sunglasses to protect his eyes. They left the airplane, smiled at each other, and walked arm in arm along the beach amid the construction of their new home.

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Please review! 


	58. Investigations Continue

Each student woke up wherever they were before they had left for Star Wars, and was relieved to find that they were home, except for Brad. He was upset to no longer have his interstellar pod-racer, but was glad to find that the blaster rifle that he had been holding in Star Wars was still with him. He began to study it so that he could make another one.

* * *

When Erik and Jennifer went back into the plane, they heard a strange noise coming from the direction of the cockpit. They opened the door and found that HK-47 was inside, trying to figure out where he was and taking apart parts of the cockpit. Erik asked him what he was doing, and he stopped.

HK-47 asked, "Inquiry: Where am I, master?"

"You are on my island on the planet Earth."

HK-47 asked, "Earth?"

Jennifer and Erik explained everything to HK-47, starting with the Story Seeker. After they were done explaining everything, which was quite a while later, HK-47 asked what his orders were. Erik responded, "Oversee the construction workers and defend the island. By the way, did you ever get to kill the sultana?"

HK-47 said, "No, master. I was about to shoot when the white light surrounded me." Then he left the cockpit.

Erik asked Jennifer is she was hungry, and she nodded. Erik made her a bowl of soup, and she went to the samovar and prepared his tea. They went over to a table with chairs that was being stored in one compartment of the plane and ate there. They talked for a while, and then Erik said, "I mentioned this before while we were in Star Wars, but I'm not sure if you remember. I have contacted a school that will accept my demands and let me teach you here. They will send you a diploma when we are finished, and they will count all of the time you have already spent in ninth grade towards it. I could begin teaching you tomorrow, and we can study for up to twelve hours a day, if you would like. At that rate, you would be done with high school in much less time than you would have finished it at your old school. You may even be able to finish it before you turn seventeen."

"That sounds great, Erik! But will I be able to see my family and go to college?"

"Of course you will be able to see your family, my dear! Once this house is completed, we will be able to invite them here, and it won't take too long. The first room will be completed in a day or two, so you will be able to sleep in a bit more comfort. As you probably have noticed, I have hired many skilled men to build our home, even more men than I had working for me in Persia when I built the shah's palace. So, you see, it will not be long before the essential rooms in our house are completed. The extra rooms will take a bit longer, but that is no matter."

"That's excellent, Erik. But what about college?"

Erik's expression changed. "I'm not certain yet that I want you to go to college. _I_ want to teach you. I don't want anyone else educating you, and I don't want you to leave this island without me. Perhaps I will change my mind later, but I really am not certain yet."

"Erik, I've always wanted to go to college."

"I know, my dear. We will find a way when the time comes, but you needn't worry yourself over it now. Would you like to rest now? I would like to teach you at night, so you could get some rest now and I will wake you up when I am ready to teach you."

Jennifer yawned. "Yes, Erik. I am a bit tired."

Erik picked her up, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head on his shoulder. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled, and then carried her over to the compartment in which the bed was being stored. He placed her gently on the bed and tucked her in.

She whispered, "I love you, Erik. Goodnight."

"I love you, too. Goodnight, my angel."

Erik sang her to sleep and then went to aid the builders.

* * *

The investigators had found the records in the Madeleine and saw that there was indeed a record of marriage between Jennifer and someone by the name of "Erik Fantôme." However, the records had some inconsistencies with what they knew about Jennifer, the greatest being that it was dated 1881.

The investigators searched for the name Erik Fantôme and found that someone using that name had gone to London on Sunday.

They also found a bank account in France that belonged to someone of that name, and found that it no longer had any money in it, but that the money had been withdrawn a few years earlier. They also found that the account had been started in 1881. They realized that, although they had more insight into who they were dealing with, they still were no closer to finding Jennifer.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to make it a bit longer than usual.Have a nice day, and please leave a review! 


	59. Lessons and a Tailor

Around one-thirty in the morning, Erik went to wake Jennifer up. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough, and Erik was relieved that she wasn't having nightmares. He woke her up and said, "Good morning."

She replied in kind, stifling a yawn. She kissed him on the cheek in greeting, and he tenderly pressed his twisted lips against her forehead. Then Erik said, "My dear, are you hungry?"

Jennifer nodded, and Erik prepared her a light breakfast. After she had eaten, he asked her if she would like to freshen up in the bathroom of the airplane. She nodded and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

After she came out, Erik said, "My dear, before we begin our lessons I would like to let you know that I have hired a tailor to come here later today so that I can buy you some new clothes."

Jennifer nodded, and he led her to the compartment of the airplane where the instruments were stored so that they could have their music lesson.

Two hours later, they went to the library and read together. Then he gave her lessons in English, Latin, French, and Persian. Although before she had met Erik she had seldom been exposed to French and never exposed to Persian, she began to pick up on the languages and now knew a few words.

After they had finished that, it was time for another meal. Jennifer went to the samovar and prepared Erik's tea while he made her a sandwich. They ate together, and then Erik said, "My dear, I would like to help you adapt to a more nocturnal life-style. Are you all right with that?"

Jennifer nodded, and after they had finished the meal, Erik led her to a part of the airplane that she had not seen before. It was filled with all sorts of laboratory equipment. Erik told her that it was time for her science lesson and he taught her in the laboratory for an hour and a half.

Then they went back to the table and studied mathematics for half of an hour, focusing mostly on geometry, as that was what she had been studying at school. After that, Erik noticed that Jennifer was yawning and asked her if she would like to rest. She nodded, and he carried her to the compartment with the bed. Just then, Jennifer remembered that she had been shot in the foot only a few days before and realized that the Story Seeker must have healed her injury somehow.

Then Erik began to sing her to sleep, and they both lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

When Erik and Jennifer awoke, it was around 5:00 P.M. Erik woke up first, feeling refreshed after having more sleep than he had had in a long time, and Jennifer woke up shortly after him.

When they both were awake, they kissed each other on the lips passionately. This lasted for about a minute, and afterwards they both looked happy, although perhaps a bit awkward.

Erik broke the silence by asking, "My dear, are you hungry?" Jennifer nodded, and they went to the table to eat dinner. After they had eaten, the tailor arrived.

The tailor appeared to be middle-aged. She was a slightly plump woman with graying hair and kind blue eyes, and, at about 5'6", she was perhaps an inch or two taller than Jennifer. Erik greeted the tailor and bade her remember his instructions; then he kissed Jennifer on the forehead and left the plane to help the builders.

The tailor greeted Jennifer with a smile, and in a slightly high-pitched voice with a noticeable French accent. "Hello, madame. Monsieur said that I was to take your measurements and then make recommendations for your new wardrobe. Do you know what dress size you wear?"

"I think I wear a size four, ma'am."

The tailor had taken out her measuring tape while Jennifer was answering. "That sounds about right. Well, let's measure you and find out. About 24" at the waist…"

After a few minutes, the tailor had taken Jennifer's measurements and determined that she would indeed wear a size four. Then the tailor asked what sort of clothing she would want. Jennifer answered, "I want clothing like the clothes I'm wearing now. I like to wear t-shirts and pants. I don't like shorts, jeans, or skirts at all, and I would prefer not to wear dresses as much as I wear casual clothing."

The tailor smiled and said, "Yes, Erik said that you would probably say something like that. He said to provide you with plenty of the type of clothes that you like, and also to order you some dresses as well. He said that he like you to have plenty of red and black dresses. Are there any other colors that you would like?"

"Red and black sound fine."

"Very well, then. I will go to order the dresses now."

The tailor departed, and Jennifer went outside to find Erik.

* * *

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you think! 


	60. The Investigations Progress

A/N: I think that this chapter is moderately longer than the previous ones. Please enjoy it, and leave a review to let me know what you think. Also, check out my forum. You can discuss this story there.

* * *

The investigators were making progress. They had stumbled upon some dock-workers at a port in England who claimed to have seen a boat leaving with many construction workers on board. It was suspicious because one of the workers knew that that particular boat wouldn't have had enough fuel to make it to America, which was the destination that that boat was scheduled to go to. 

This may have seemed completely unrelated to the case the investigators were trying to solve, except that some of the dock-workers claimed to have heard the construction workers conversing seriously about a masked man who had hired them. After hearing this, the investigators realized that this was related to their case and gave orders for the boat in question to be found.

Suddenly, however, the very same boat came into the port. The investigators hurried on board and found that the only passenger was a tailor. They searched the ship and found that there was no driver. The boat seemed to have some sort of auto-pilot function. The investigators had someone work on disabling it. They also found that the boat was registered to "Erik Fantôme."

Feeling that they were on the right track, they questioned the tailor. She did not know exactly where the boat had gone, but told the investigators that, wherever she had been, she had seen a girl who looked just like the girl in the picture of Jennifer that they showed her. She also said that she had been hired by a man wearing a mask, and the investigators got their first true description of him.

The tailor said, "He was wearing a mask over his whole face. He was tall, probably at least a foot taller than me. He was also extremely thin. He was wearing a suit and a fedora, and he had some dark hair under his hat. He seemed to be middle-aged."

One of the investigators asked, "Did you witness him hurting the girl?"

The tailor seemed genuinely concerned. "Oh, has he hurt her? I didn't see him hurt her at all, but I did see him kiss her on the forehead. I hope he hasn't hurt her; she seemed like a sweet girl, although she was very quiet and shy and a little bit blunt. He hired me to order a new wardrobe for her."

The other investigator said, "Madame, perhaps you had better go order that wardrobe now. Please give us your contact information now, and do not speak of this to anyone."

The tailor agreed, and left after giving the investigators her contact information. The investigators felt that they had made great progress that day.

* * *

In America at the class's school, school was now over. Dania was talking to Dr. Evans about using the Story Seeker next. Dania said that she wanted to go into _Lost_, and Dr. Evans agreed but said that they should wait until the next day.

Meanwhile, Matt and Kevin were plotting ways to get back at Erik. Kevin said, "Well, you said that we saw him raping her. Perhaps we should report it to the authorities."

Matt agreed, but pointed out that they could not reveal the existence of the Story Seeker. "I will have to say that it happened at a different time than it did, but it should still work."

Matt and Kevin called the police station and told them what Matt claimed to have witnessed.

Elsewhere, Brad was hard at work examining the blaster rifle and beginning to build another one.

* * *

Erik and Jennifer had spent the past few hours working on the finishing touches of the first room of their new house that was completed: the master bedroom. Erik and a few of the construction workers carried the mahogany bed that had once been in the Louis-Philippe room into the room. The room had already been painted a crimson color by the construction workers, so Erik and Jennifer worked on arranging the furniture the way they wanted it while the construction workers began work on the master bathroom.

They moved one bookshelf of his vast collection of books temporarily so that they wouldn't have to go into the plane for all of their lessons. After they had finished arranging and decorating the room, they sat on the sofa that they had moved into the room and read together for a while.

After that, Erik decided that it was time for another music lesson. After about three hours, the lesson was complete, and Jennifer said that she was hungry. They ate dinner in the airplane, and then they played chess for an hour or so. By then, it was around midnight and the workers were all asleep in their tents. Erik suggested that they take another walk along the beach.

Erik offered Jennifer his arm, and she took it. They walked along the beach and talked for a while, and both were very glad that the other seemed content. They hugged and then kissed each other on the lips affectionately. Then Erik took her hand and led her into the airplane for another math lesson. This lesson lasted for an hour and a half. Then he brought her to the laboratory and they had their science lesson, which lasted for about as long as the math lesson.

Then they went into their new bedroom and cuddled on the sofa until around 7:30 in the morning. Then they ate a meal together and, after that, they fell asleep contentedly in their new master bedroom for the first time.


	61. Lost

According to Erik's latest orders, HK-47 had gone aboard the boat with the tailor. When the investigators came, however, HK-47 used his cloaking device to evade them. As a result, they had no idea that he was there. HK-47 waited until after the investigators had thoroughly searched the boat to place the note in red ink, which Erik had given him with the order to give it to the investigators in just such an event, where he knew that the investigators would find it.

The younger investigator, a red-haired, weak-looking man of about twenty-five years of age, saw the letter first. He handed it to the other investigator, a dark-haired, well-built man who seemed to be in his mid-forties, who read the letter out loud:

To the "investigators:

You are treating me with outrageous contempt! This is your final warning to stop this futile investigation. Just be satisfied that Jennifer is safe and well, and even happy, and give up. Go home and leave us in peace. I trust that you have found by now that my marriage to her is genuine. You may feel safe knowing that I will never hurt her. I am willing to arrange for her to spend some time with her family once I am assured that your silly investigation is over, because I hope to be a good husband and I want to make my wife as happy as I can. For now, you may tell her family that they needn't worry about her and that she is safe.

I remain, gentlemen, your obedient servant,

O.G.

While the investigators were reading the note, HK-47 was positioning the tri-light scope on his Aratech sniper rifle. He fired and hit the younger investigator in the chest.

After the other investigator left to get help and the younger one was carried off on a stretcher, HK-47 activated the boat and started it in the direction of the island.

* * *

After school, Dania went to Dr. Evans portable to use the Story Seeker. She activated it and concentrated on _Lost_. Just as the white light surrounded her, however, the Story Seeker shrieked, "Warning! Malfunction! Malfunction!" However, it was too late to turn back. Dania braced herself for a rough ride and hoped for the best.

* * *

Jennifer's and Erik's rest was interrupted by the very familiar white light. When they opened their eyes, they realized that they were on a tropical island somewhere. After a few minutes, a man came by. Jennifer recognized him as Jack from _Lost_. They were in _Lost_!

Jack saw them and asked if they were hurt. Erik didn't want to answer, but Jennifer told him that it was all right and yelled to Jack, "Yes! We're fine!" Then they heard the noise of part of a plane exploding and Jack ran off in the direction of the noise.

Erik asked Jennifer, "Who is he? Where exactly are we?"

"I believe that we are inside the television show _Lost_. That was the doctor, Jack."

Suddenly, Jennifer and Erik both found their memories from this story (in accordance with rule #9 of the Story Seeker) and realized that they were on the plane that had just crashed. They checked themselves for injuries and found that, luckily, they only had a few minor scrapes and bruises. They walked out of the jungle hand in hand and decided that they should build a shelter; Jennifer knew from watching the show what the rest of the passengers didn't know: help wouldn't come any time soon.

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I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Please leave a review to let me know what you think, and feel free to visit my forum. 


	62. Shelter

When Dania opened her eyes, she knew that she had reached her destination. She recognized the beach that she was on and saw the fuselage. However, she only saw a few of her classmates in the surrounding area.

Brad, Kelly, Matt and Kevin were the only members of the class who were there, at least within her vision. Is that what the Story Seeker meant when it said it was malfunctioning?

Dania's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an explosion. A person had been pulled through one of the plane's engine and his blood had splattered everywhere. Dania walked away from the chaos of the crash site towards her classmates. Matt and Kevin asked her, "Where are we?" Dania said, "I sent us into _Lost_ because it's pretty much my favorite TV show." Brad said, "That's the show about the island and the plane crash and all sorts of weird things going on, isn't it? I only watched one or two episodes." Kelly said, "Maybe we should try to help someone."

Kelly and Dania went to find a way to help the other survivors, Matt and Kevin wondered if Erik and Jennifer were on the island and discussed what they should do about their plans to get revenge on Erik, and Brad realized that his blaster rifle had come with him into this story.

* * *

Erik and Jennifer began building their shelter on the border of the jungle and the beach. They decided to build it out of bamboo since it was plentiful in the area. Jennifer helped Erik gather the bamboo, and then Erik gave her a book and told her that she could read now, but that she must stay nearby. She sat on the ground on top of her cape and read under the shade of a nearby tree. 

Fifteen minutes later, Jennifer saw Dania, Kelly, and Brad approaching and let Erik know. When they arrived, Erik greeted them and asked them which one of them had chosen the story. Dania awkwardly said, "I did."

Erik nodded. "Very well, then. Jennifer has told me that this island is a very dangerous place. I wish to protect you, because your death would greatly inconvenience me."

He turned toward Kelly and Brad. "Also, I would like to protect you two because you are Jennifer's friends. Would you three children be willing to help me build a shelter? Now that there will be five of us staying here, it will be a much bigger project, as there will need to be four separate rooms."

Brad, Dania, and Kelly nodded. Erik and Jennifer kissed on the lips before they began working, and Erik told Jennifer to continue her reading.

Jennifer sat under the shade of the tree for a few minutes simply remembering how pleasant that kiss felt before picking up the book and reading.

* * *

Thank you for reading! I'm sorry that this chapter was a little bit shorter than usual. Please leave a review and check out my forum! 


	63. Ventriloquist Tricks

At the site of the crash, everything was in chaos. Jack, the doctor, was rushing about trying to help everyone that he could. Matt and Kevin decided to go on a reconnaissance mission to find where Erik was. They followed the footprints of the three other students, hoping that they had found where Erik was.

* * *

While the students and Erik were working on the shelter, the students conversed together and Erik was pretty much silent except when he told them what to do. They had made some progress. They had worked very hard and had completed two of the outer walls of the shelter. They were nearly done with the third. Then Kelly mentioned what it was like on the beach.

Jennifer heard what she said from her spot under the tree, put her book down, and approached Erik. She whispered, "Erik, that sounds horrible! Is there anything that we can do to help the injured survivors?"

Erik was relieved that he was wearing his black silk mask and so no one could see his facial expression, because he was certain that he would have looked very guilty as he looked into his cloak and saw a few packages of morphine. However, he took the packages out of his cloak, handed them to Jennifer, and said, "This would help the doctor."

While examining the package, Jennifer figured out what it was and looked up at Erik's eyes. "Have…have you been…using this?"

"No, my dear. I quit using it about two years ago." Kelly and Dania now remembered seeing him quit morphine when they were looking at his memories on Dantooine. They told Jennifer about that quickly while Brad watched all of this skeptically, and Jennifer hugged Erik and said, "I'm sorry for doubting you."

Erik said, "It's quite all right, my dear." Then he tilted her face up towards him and kissed her lips. After the kiss ended, Erik said, "My dear, I will come with you to bring it to the doctor."

Jennifer nodded and handed the package back to him. He put it in his cloak before turning to face the students. He said, "You may keep working if you wish, or you could rest instead."

The students finished the third wall before taking a break under the shade of a nearby tree.

Meanwhile, Erik and Jennifer were walking across the beach while holding hands. After a little while of walking, Erik suddenly tensed. He said with hardly controlled anger, "Matt and Kevin are coming."

Sure enough, within a couple of seconds the twins were within Jennifer's vision. Jennifer could practically feel how angry Erik was, so she squeezed his hand gently and looked up at him. She whispered, "Erik, please don't hurt them."

Erik sighed. "If it pleases you, my dear." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. Then he twirled his cloak around them, and they disappeared.

When they reappeared, they were on the branch of a large tree. It was sturdy enough to support them, and it gave them a good view of the beach, although they knew that they were concealed from the view of Matt and Kevin by some other trees and vegetation. Jennifer had placed her arms around Erik's neck after he had pulled her towards him, and Erik still had one arm around her waist. Jennifer gave a sigh, relieved that Erik had decided not to hurt them.

However, Erik, although he had agreed not to hurt them, was planning to scare them out of their wits.

Using his ventriloquism, he projected his voice to a spot directly between the twins' ears. He said, "Are you looking for me?" Then he began to laugh maniacally.

Matt and Kevin reacted as expected. They both yelled something to the effect of "Erik! Show yourself! Face us!" Erik just laughed louder and louder, shifting between their ears. Then he switched to projecting his voice from a nearby shell. "Leave Erik and his wife alone!" He repeated this several times, projecting his voice from various objects, until the twins were frightened (or perhaps annoyed and enraged) enough to hurry in the direction of the unfinished shelter.

Erik smirked and decided to appear just out of sight of the crash site. He told Jennifer to hold on to him just before he wrapped his cloak around himself and his wife and vanished.

* * *

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	64. Gossip and a Donation

Back near the partially completed shelter, the students were taking a break under the shade of a large tree. Brad said, "Do you really believe that Erik has quit using morphine?"

Dania said, "Jennifer seems to trust him."

Brad replied, "Yes, but she seemed uncharacteristically gullible."

Kelly said, "We saw him quit when we were looking at his memories, Brad."  
"True, but it usually takes people three or more tries to quit smoking, and I've heard that morphine is very addictive. I also think that it is unsettling how easily she listened to what he said and automatically assumed that he was telling the truth. She trusted him right away. It just doesn't seem like her."

Kelly said, "Well, I really don't know whether or not he's still using morphine, but I know why she trusts him. She's in love with him."

Dania said, "I guess that love can blind you to the truth about a person. Well, at least she questioned his possession of morphine at all. It would have been worse if she hadn't even asked about it."

All three students nodded, and Brad said, "I resent him calling us children, though. I'm about three months older than Jennifer. It's really creepy that he called me a child when he's married to someone who is younger than me. I'm not a child, either."

Dania and Kelly obviously agreed with Brad that it was disturbing, for they shuddered involuntarily.

Suddenly, they saw Matt and Kevin approaching, looking angry, irked, and disoriented all at once. They asked, "Have you seen Erik?"

Dania answered, "Yes, he and Jennifer left a while ago. What happened?"

Kevin said, "He used his ventriloquist tricks to try to scare us."

Brad said, "It looks like he was successful."

Matt said, "We aren't afraid of him!"

"Really? You probably should be. We have no inkling of how many people he has killed in his past."

Kevin said, "That's all the more reason for us to pursue him. Jennifer isn't safe when she's with him."

Kelly angrily said, "It not as if she's safe around you, either! You killed her in _Star Wars_, Kevin, and you both tortured her!"

Dania said, "Do you have any idea how injured she looked when we found her dead body in _Star Wars_? You are the ones who caused her to be hurt that much."

Kelly said, "You can't even pretend that you are looking out for her safety, when you yourselves have hurt her and killed her!"

The twins said, "Very well, then. We'll go somewhere else. We'll build our own shelter and we'll take care of ourselves. We know that you'll see things our way after living in the same shelter as the phantom for a while."

Having said that, the twins departed across the beach.

* * *

Erik and Jennifer walked into the crash area and found the doctor. Things were much less chaotic now than they were before, and now a brave woman was helping the doctor sew up a cut on his back that he had gotten from the crash. Erik approached them, with one arm still on Jennifer's shoulder, and said softly, "Excuse me, monsieur? You are a doctor?"

"Yeah. What do you need?"

"My wife and I don't need anything, monsieur. I have come to offer something that could be very useful to a doctor, especially in a situation like this."

Erik pulled the packages of morphine out from his cloak and handed them to Jack. While obviously wondering why this strange man was in possession of morphine, the doctor said, "Morphine? You're right. I'll give this to the seriously wounded." He left to do that, and the woman followed him. Then Erik kissed Jennifer on the forehead before wrapping his cloak around both of them and vanishing once again.

* * *

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, and be sure to check out my forum! 


	65. Sunset and Serious Conversations

This is a much longer chapter than usual. Please enjoy!

* * *

When Erik and Jennifer arrived back at their incomplete shelter, they found that the students were taking a break. Erik noticed that they had completed the third wall of the shelter. Erik told them that it was time to get back to work, and they complied. Erik then turned to Jennifer and handed her the book that she had been reading before.

Jennifer asked, "Erik, can't I help you build the shelter?"

"You want to help? I was worried that you might get hurt, but I suppose that if you stay near me and promise to be careful, then you may help if that is what you want."

Jennifer nodded and returned the book to him, and then they set to work.

Jennifer helped Erik design and make the door, while Brad, Dania and Kelly worked on the final wall. After the door was finished, all of them worked on installing it and on finishing the last wall. Then Brad, Dania, Kelly and Jennifer took a brief break while Erik sketched his design for the interior of the shelter on a piece of paper which he had taken from inside his cloak.

During their break, Brad tried to talk to Jennifer. "Jennifer, how do you really know that he has quit using morphine?"

"Well, I suppose I really don't know for certain, but I trust him completely, so I believe him. I'll take his word for it."

"Do you feel safe around him?"

Jennifer nodded. "I do. He makes me feel so secure, and he always takes such excellent care of me."

They were silent for about a minute. Then Erik came out from inside the unfinished shelter with his completed design in hand and all of them set to work on the interior walls of the shelter.

After an hour or so, they completed the interior walls of the shelter. Then they had to make hammocks to sleep on, so they all went into the jungle to collect vines. (Erik climbed the trees, grabbed the vines and threw them to the ground, where Jennifer, Kelly, Dania, and Brad collected them.)

After they had collected the vines, they began to work on building the hammocks. Erik designed one that was sufficiently sturdy and large enough to support both him and Jennifer, and Jennifer helped him make it. Brad, Dania, and Kelly each designed and made their own hammocks. After they had completed the hammocks and each person placed theirs in their own room, they began work on constructing the bamboo doors for the rooms of the shelter.

When they had finished that, Erik climbed the exterior walls and began building a roof for the shelter. Dania, Kelly, Brad, and Jennifer passed the bamboo up to him, and after a while, he was finished and the shelter was complete.

The students sat on the beach and watched the sun set, and Erik made a net out of some of the vines that were left over from the hammocks. Then he walked into the sea and tried to catch their dinner, while the students conversed freely.

After a little while, he managed to catch a few fish. Then he placed the net of fish on the beach near the students and climbed a nearby tree.

The tree was relatively tall, but he climbed it rather quickly. At the top, he found a bunch of coconuts. He pulled out his knife from within his cloak and cut down the bunch of coconuts. Then he jumped to the ground and landed like a cat. He collected the coconuts in his arms and brought them to the beach near the students.

Then he collected a few branches from another nearby tree and placed them on the ground a safe distance from the students. With a wave of his hand, he started a small cooking fire and began to cook the fish that he had caught.

When the fish were cooked completely, he called Jennifer and the other students and gave them each a cooked fish and a coconut. Erik himself only had one coconut. He sat next to Jennifer and experimentally placed an arm around her shoulder.

He was pleased to find that she reacted by resting her head against him as she finished eating her fish. After she had finished eating her meal, she yawned. Suddenly, it began to rain lightly, and Erik said with a slight smile, "Are you ready to go inside, my dear?"

Jennifer nodded, and Erik filled the net with the leftover coconuts before going inside the shelter. By the time Jennifer and Erik entered the small entry room, Brad, Kelly, and Dania were already there. Jennifer and Erik bid them good night and entered their room. The students stayed in the entry room and talked for a while before going to sleep in their own rooms.

Erik placed the net full of coconuts in one corner of the cozy room. Then he sat down on the hammock with Jennifer. He suddenly asked Jennifer, "Could I brush your hair?"

Jennifer wondered why Erik would ask that all of a sudden, but nodded nevertheless. Erik pulled a brush from his cloak and began to brush her hair gently. They began to talk, and the conversation quickly turned to a subject that Erik was uncomfortable with.

Jennifer asked nervously, "Erik, are you sure that you really haven't used morphine for two years?"

Erik tensed. Jennifer could feel his hands shaking as he held the brush. Erik said, "Why do you ask that?"

Jennifer looked at him curiously, obviously concerned. "Why are you shaking like that, Erik? What's wrong?"

"Why did you ask me that?"

"Because I wanted to know for sure, Erik, and the fact that by asking that I have caused you to shake like that and tense up worries me. Have you been using it? Erik, please tell me the truth!"

Erik rose from the hammock and walked towards a corner of the room. Still facing away from her, he answered, "You wish to know the truth, my dear? The truth is that I have used it a few times since I had claimed to have quit it. However, you must listen to my reasons for using it."

He turned around to face her and she saw a tear running down his black, silken mask. He said, "My dear, after I let…after I let Christine go, during the time that I fully expected would be my last time alive, I had no qualms about using morphine to distract me from reality while I awaited death. However, after I found the Story Seeker and found you as a result, I was inspired to quit using it, for back then I was truly addicted to it."

Erik's speech was now greatly hampered by his tears. "It was very hard to quit it…my dear…but I tried my best…for you inspired me! It took me…many attempts…and it was extremely difficult…and painful, but eventually I prevailed. The day that I finally prevailed…over my habit…was about two years ago. However, I used it afterwards four times…but I had a good reason to do so, my dear."

Erik made his way back to the hammock, and Jennifer welcomed him there. She asked tearfully, "What was your reason?"

"You were my reason, my dear. I was so frightened that I might lose control of myself, the night that I first took you into the Louis-Philippe room, that I used morphine to distract myself from the temptations that seeing you limp and completely helpless caused. I didn't want to hurt you, so I drugged myself with morphine, locked myself in my room, and composed softly so as not to wake you up."

Jennifer held Erik's hand to comfort him and asked, "You said four times?"

"Yes, my dear. The other three times were the first three nights that we were married. The first night, as you will recall, I gave you some laudanum to help you sleep and carried you to my home beneath your school. Again, I was presented with the same temptations, and I solved them the same way that I did before. I drowned them out with morphine and music and locked myself away from you. The other two times, I had not given you anything to make you fall asleep, but you were sleeping so peacefully and you were so beautiful to me that I refused to trust myself around you. So I used morphine again both nights. After you returned to me after being gone for a while…after we flew to our island…I trusted myself a bit more. I realized that if I simply kept away from you and absorbed myself in composing something for you, then I could drown the temptation out with music alone. Then, when you called me because you had had a nightmare and asked me to sing you to sleep, I agreed. As I held you in my arms, I realized that I could control myself. If I focused on how pleasant it felt to hold you and to have you so close to me voluntarily, then I didn't have to think about how pleasant it could be if my desires were ever fulfilled. The temptations were still there, of course, but they weren't quite as overwhelming as before. I could be near you without losing control of myself. I didn't have to drug myself whenever you were sleeping. This made me very happy, but I held onto the packages of morphine just in case I ever felt too overwhelmed by temptation to be able to control myself on my own."

"You haven't used it since then?"

"No, my dear."

Jennifer hugged him and said, "All right, then."

She looked up at his eyes. They were glowing now, as it was dark, and they expressed his pain to her. She said gently, "Erik, please take off your mask."

Erik looked at her quizzically and asked, "Why?"

"Because no one else is here, it doesn't look very comfortable, and it gets in the way of me giving you a goodnight kiss."

Erik nodded and removed the mask. Jennifer saw the tears rolling down his scarred and sallow cheeks and could feel tears beginning to well up in her own eyes. She closed her eyes and kissed Erik's cheek gently.

When she was done and her eyes were open again, Erik asked, "Do you feel nauseous?"

Jennifer said cautiously, "A little bit."

"Do you feel nauseous because of my face?"

"A little bit, but I think I'm mostly nauseous because I'm nervous. I'm not yet used to kissing and being kissed. It's very new to me and it's kind of scary and a little bit awkward, but it's also pleasant."

"Thank you for being honest with me. It's all right to be a bit frightened, of my face and of things that are new to you. I would be more suspicious if you said that my face had no negative effect on you. I myself had nightmares for a long while after the first time that I saw my face."

Jennifer nodded and kissed his other cheek without closing her eyes, and then Erik kissed her on the lips very passionately. When the kiss ended, Erik smiled, and for once Jennifer could see it and smiled back.

They lay down on the hammock together. Jennifer rested her head on his chest and Erik sang her to sleep.

* * *

Please leave a review to let me know what you think! 


	66. Luggage

Near the crash site, the doctor was administering morphine to a passenger who had a large piece of shrapnel in his chest. The woman whom Jennifer and Erik had seen earlier asked him, "Will he be all right?"

"Do you know him?"

"He was sitting next to me on the plane."

After a while, they sat down near a campfire. Jack said that the cockpit of the plane must be somewhere around here, and that if they could find it, they would probably find a transceiver, which they could use to contact a rescue boat.

The woman said that she had seen smoke earlier that day coming from the jungle. Then they both realized that neither of them knew each other's name.

The doctor said, "I'm Jack."

The woman nodded. "I'm Kate."

Jack said that he would try to find the cockpit the next day, and Kate said that she wanted to go, too. Jack reluctantly agreed.

Many people near the crash site believed that they would be rescued soon. One young man offered a young woman, apparently his sister, a candy bar, but she refused, saying that she would eat on the rescue boat.

An overweight man gave a pregnant young Australian woman some of his food. A man told his wife to stay with him at all times in Korean, and she nodded her head.

Suddenly, they all heard a loud noise coming from the jungle. They weren't quite sure how to describe it, but it was terrifying sound.

Eventually they all went to sleep.

* * *

When Erik woke up, it was still several hours before sunrise. He just lay on the cot for about an hour, stroking Jennifer's hair softly, until Jennifer began to stir. Then he whispered, "Good morning, my angel."

Jennifer replied, yawning, "Good morning, Erik. I love you." Then she kissed his cheek softly.

Erik said affectionately, "I love you, too, my dear." He kissed her on the forehead, and then smiled.

Jennifer smiled back and said, "It's nice to be able to see you smiling."

That statement brought Erik's attention back to the fact that he wasn't wearing his mask, and he instinctively reached for his mask. Jennifer placed her hand on his to stop him. He looked at her and said, "Does my face still disgust you?"

"I never said that your face disgusted me! It just frightens me when I'm tired and nervous, and I was very tired and nervous last night. I'm honestly still a little bit frightened and nervous, but I'm not nauseous now. The more time I spend around you when you are not wearing your mask, the more comfortable I become with your face. I love you, Erik! I don't want you to feel that you need to hide your face from me."

Erik embraced her. He mumbled, "My angel…my dear Jennifer..." Then he tilted her face up towards him and kissed her lips.

After the kiss ended and they separated, there was a slightly awkward but companionable silence between them. Neither of them really knew what to say, so they remained silent for a few minutes.

Erik broke the silence by asking, "Would you like to take a walk with me? We still have an hour or two before the sun rises, and no one else will probably be up and about at this hour."

Jennifer nodded and smiled. She put on the cape that Erik had made for her while Erik put on his black silk mask and his own cloak, which they had been using for a blanket. Erik removed his fedora and placed it on the cot; he pulled the hood of his cloak up and offered Jennifer his arm.

She accepted it, and they walked quietly out of the shelter together. Erik had been correct; they seemed to be the only ones awake. Jennifer's eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness and she moved closer to Erik, whose golden eyes were shining yellow in the darkness and had no trouble adjusting to the light.

They began to talk softly as they walked arm in arm in the direction of the crash site.

When they arrived at their destination, something in the jungle caught Erik's eye. It appeared to be a suitcase.

Erik approached it and saw that it was indeed a suitcase. He read the tag and realized that it was his own. Lifting it to the beach, he saw a backpack that had been lying underneath it. He lifted it and realized that it had Jennifer's name on it. He whispered to her, "These are ours."

She nodded, and took the backpack. She recognized it. It was the same large, black and lime-green backpack that she brought to school each day. She struggled to pull it onto her back, as her cape rather got in her way, and Erik helped her. He lifted up the suitcase with ease and they began walking towards their shelter.

When they arrived back at their room in the shelter, they began unpacking their bags. Erik's suitcase contained several dress suits, his violin, some sheet music, a few books, and some red ink. Jennifer's huge backpack contained many things. She had a few days and nights worth of clothes packed, some feminine hygiene products, a few books, a folder or two full of papers, and her GameBoy Advance with a few games, as well as many other objects. She opened up her "pencil pouch" and found that, as usual, she had many miscellaneous objects crammed into the small pouch in addition to pencils and pens: a pair of scissors, a few crayons, a pocket-size music dictionary, some colored pencils, tape, a compass (the kind for drawing circles), and index cards.

After they had finished unpacking, they decided that they would need a partition so that they could change their clothes without unnecessary awkwardness. They went outside to get some more bamboo.

When they came back, they constructed the partition together in one corner of the room. By the time the finished it, the sun was rising. Jennifer went behind and changed into a different outfit. She put on a red shirt that said "Gir: reporting for duty" and featured the adorable little robot from _Invader Zim_ and was slightly smaller than the large t-shirts she usually wore (probably because, unlike most of the other t-shirts, it was made for girls), but it was still in keeping with her standards of modesty. She also wore a pair of khaki pants that went down to just above her ankles. When she was finished changing, she called out, "Erik, are you ready?"

When Erik responded in the positive, Jennifer emerged from behind the partition and hugged Erik. He was wearing a different suit that was mostly identical to the suit that he had been wearing before. She noticed that he was beginning to smell slightly like death again, and although she tried not to cringe, Erik apparently noticed and set to work on another batch of his rose-scented formula. After he had made it and applied it to himself, he asked her, "Would you like to begin our lessons for the day?"

Jennifer nodded and they began reading together in English.

* * *

I suppose that was another fairly long chapter. I hope that you enjoyed it. Please leave a review to let me know what you think.

Also, if you like Star Wars, you should read Guardians of the Ancient Order, by Bone-Eagle, who happens to be my little brother.


	67. Pilot

The twins woke up under their own makeshift shelter. They had managed to complete the shelter the night before. Although it was not nearly as well-designed or comfortable as Erik's shelter, it was good enough to protect them from the rain.

Matt and Kevin had built their shelter on the opposite side of the crash site from Erik and Jennifer's shelter. As much as they wanted revenge on the phantom, they didn't really feel comfortable staying only a short distance away from him.

They saw three people heading off into the jungle and wondered why. However, they had more pressing matters to attend to.

Both Matt' stomach and Kevin's stomach growled simultaneously. They saw a papaya tree and managed to climb the eight-foot-tall plant. They picked several papayas and ate them.

* * *

Jack, Kate, and another passenger named Charlie set out to look for the cockpit. While they were walking, Kate told Charlie that she thought he looked familiar. He said that he knew what she was talking about, and began to sing. Kate didn't know what he was talking about. Then Charlie said that he was in the band, Driveshaft.

Kate recognized him now, and told Jack. Jack just said, "We need to keep moving."

They eventually found the cockpit. They entered the plane and found the pilot, who was barely conscious. Kate gave him some water, and he asked, "How long have we been here?"

Jack said, "About 16 hours."

The pilot said, "We were more than a thousand miles off course when we hit turbulence. No one knows where we are."

Jack asked him if he had transceiver. The pilot nodded and handed it to him.

Then Kate realized that Charlie wasn't there; she began searching through the front portion of the plane, which had crashed in such a way that it was very steep and difficult to walk across. While she was looking for him, he suddenly came out of the bathroom.

"What were you doing in there?"

Before Charlie had a chance to answer, they heard a loud, strange noise. They rushed back into the cockpit in time to see the pilot being pulled out of the plane.

Jack, Kate, and Charlie ran out of the plane as fast as they could. Charlie's foot got stuck under a branch and he fell to the ground. Kate didn't seem to notice and kept running. Jack noticed and went beck to help him. After Charlie was able to get up, they both started running again.

After a while, Charlie lost sight of Jack. He ran into Kate, and she asked him were Jack was repeatedly. Suddenly, a liquid dropped on his head. He looked at a puddle in the ground and saw the reflection of what appeared to be a body. The pilot's insignia was in the puddle. Charlie looked up and saw the pilot's mangled corpse in a tall tree above them.

Just then, Charlie and Kate heard a rustling in the bushes behind them. They turned in time to see Jack coming towards them. Kate exclaimed, "Jack!"

Charlie pointed out the body to them and said, "Guys? What could do something like this?"

They all walked back to the camp wondering just what could cause such a thing to happen.

* * *

At ten o' clock that morning, Brad, Kelly, Dania, Jennifer, and Erik met on the beach outside of their shelter. Erik went fishing with his net, and this time Brad went to help him. While they were fishing, Jennifer came up with an idea to pass the time.

She collected the necessary materials and made a sieve. She went a foot or two out into the ocean a few feet away from the spot where Erik and Brad were fishing and began sifting the sieve through the water in an effort to collect salt. By the time Erik and Brad were done fishing, she had had some success. She showed Erik the sieve, which was now nearly full with salt. Erik was amused and kissed her on the forehead. Jennifer blushed slightly and Erik put the net with fish in it on the sand next to Dania and Kelly, who had gathered some of the leftover bamboo into a small pile for a cooking fire.

Erik sat down near the pile and lit the wood with a small wave of his left hand. Then he remembered that he had left the coconuts on the hammock in the shelter. He told Jennifer in a whisper and asked her if she would accompany him, and she nodded. He offered her his hand, which was gloved, and she accepted it. Then they walked hand in hand into the shelter.

On the way there, Erik noticed that Jennifer seemed to have something on her mind. She asked timidly, "Erik?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"How did you make the fire start?"

Erik smirked, but Jennifer couldn't see it because of his mask. "I used magic."

"Oh. Will you teach me about it?"

"Perhaps I will someday, my dear."

They arrived at their room and Erik gathered up five coconuts. Then Jennifer remembered that she had seen a bottle of sunscreen in her bag and realized that, as she would probably be out on the beach for a little while, she should probably put it on. She pulled the bottle out of her backpack and applied it to her face and arms. She offered some to Erik, and he pointed out that most of his skin was completely covered.

However, he realized that, as he wasn't wearing his fedora today and was no longer wearing the hood of his cloak, the back of his neck might require some protection. He applied the sunscreen to the back of his neck right under his dark but thinning hair, and then Jennifer applied some to the back of her neck. Erik kissed her lightly on the lips, and then they walked out to eat their meal with Kelly, Dania, and Brad.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Please leave a review to let me know what you think! I'm sorry that this chapter was so late. 


	68. Conversations on an Island

Erik and Jennifer had a very relaxing time after their meal. Brad, Kelly, and Dania had gone towards the camp where the rest of the survivors were staying to see if there was anything they could do there.

Jennifer and Erik, however, had found a comfortable spot under the shade of a large tree and sat there. Erik sat up against the tree and Jennifer sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Erik stroked her hair gently and they began to talk freely and happily to one another.

Their idyllic free time hardly lasted half of an hour until it was interrupted by the sound of Kelly running towards them, screaming that there was a fight of some sort brewing further along the beach.

Erik and Jennifer decided that they should probably try to find out was going on, so Erik took Jennifer into his arms and told Kelly to hold on to Jennifer.

Kelly hesitantly clasped Jennifer's hand and found that it was now almost as cold as Erik's, although she remembered that Jennifer was usually colder than most people anyway.

Kelly was roused from her thoughts when Erik wrapped his cloak around all three of them. When he removed the cloak, they were further down the beach, where a fight was about to start.

A tall American named Sawyer was trying to start a fight with a man named Sayid by accusing him of being a terrorist and saying that he was probably the reason that they crashed. Just as they began to fight, Jack and Kate arrived and the doctor ended the violence.

While she was watching, Kelly had let go of Jennifer's hand and was standing next to Brad and Dania. Dania was glaring hatefully at Sawyer, but the man had left the area with a few sarcastic remarks aimed at the doctor and didn't notice.

Erik placed Jennifer down and offered her his hand, which was gloved. She accepted, and noticed that Erik seemed to be approaching Sayid.

He addressed him in Arabic, "Greetings, monsieur."

Sayid was slightly taken aback. He responded in Arabic, "You speak Arabic?"

"Yes. I spent a few years in Persia, and I have learned many languages throughout my lifetime."

"You lived in Iran?"

"Yes. I was employed by the Shah for a time. Have you ever been there?"

Jennifer was listening to Erik speak and, despite the fact that she could scarcely understand a word of their conversation, she was looking up at Erik, admiring the way that his voice made every language sound so musical.

After a few minutes of conversation, the men shook hands in a friendly but somewhat awkward manner. Sayid asked in English, "By the way, who is she?"

Erik said, "She is my wife, Jennifer." He then turned to Jennifer and said, "My dear, this is Sayid."

Jennifer nodded and shook hands with Sayid. She said politely, "It's very nice to meet you."

Sayid nodded and said, "Likewise."

Erik said to Jennifer, "My dear, I think it is time for us to return to our shelter and have our music lesson."

Jennifer nodded, and the couple began to stroll casually back towards their shelter.

* * *

Please leave a review to let me know what you think! Thank you. 


	69. Assumptions

This is a short chapter because I was gone for most of the weekend. It is mostly "fluff" between Erik and Jennifer.

* * *

After Erik and Jennifer left the camp, Jack showed the transceiver from the cockpit to Sayid, who said that he was a communications officer during the Persian Gulf War. The overweight man who had been helping the pregnant woman before (his name was Hurley) said curiously, "I had a friend who fought there. Which division were you in? Were you a Marine, or a…"

Sayid interrupted his question and answered, "Republican Guard."

There was an awkward silence because Hurley had assumed that Sayid had been on the American side, not on their enemies' side.

Sayid examined the transceiver and broke the silence by saying. "The batteries are good, but it would be a waste to try to send a message here; it's not picking up a signal. We need to get to higher ground."

Kate, Charlie, Sawyer, the blonde girl who had refused a candy bar, and her brother, Boone, agreed to go with Sayid to find higher ground, and they set off through the jungle.

* * *

A few hours later, Jennifer and Erik had finished their music lesson. Erik kissed Jennifer on the forehead and said kindly, "My dear, you have worked diligently today. Now, what would you like to do?"

Jennifer's face lit up as she smiled and said, "Can we read together again?"

Erik smiled back, and she could see his smile, as he had removed the mask shortly before they began the music lesson. He still felt rather awkward showing her his face so much, but he remembered what she had said that morning and the night before. He wanted her to feel comfortable around him, and he wanted to feel comfortable being unmasked around her, as well.

Erik sat down on the hammock and motioned for her to sit next to him. She did, and Erik hesitantly placed an arm around her waist. Erik was very pleased with her reaction; she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Erik kissed her softly on the forehead. Jennifer thought that he looked teary-eyed in a joyful way, and he said, "My dear, it always amazes me that you would allow my lips- well, what passes for lips on me- to come into contact with your skin, especially when I am not wearing my mask."

Jennifer took Erik's hand that wasn't around her waist and squeezed it gently to comfort him. She looked up into his eye sockets (it was light in the room, so she couldn't see his eyes) and said softly, "I like it better when you kiss me without the mask on. When you aren't wearing the mask, I'm able to see how happy it makes you."

Erik understood what she meant by that. Erik always enjoyed seeing Jennifer smile contentedly. Maybe she felt the same way and enjoyed being able to see him look happy.

They smiled at each other. Erik got out the book that they had been reading earlier, and they continued where they had left off


	70. A Polar Bear in the Jungle?

Sayid, Kate, Sawyer, Charlie, Boone, and his sister (who was named Shannon; not to be confused with the Shannon in the class) had begun their walk towards higher ground so that they could get a signal with the transceiver. They began by climbing a steep hill, using whatever vines and rocks on the side they could reach to hold on. Sayid gave Shannon a hand, and Sawyer helped Kate a little bit when they were towards the top of the hill.

However, Sayid said that they still were not high enough, and that if they used the transceiver now, they would risk using up the battery. They began walking through the jungle to get to a higher part of the hill.

While they were in the jungle, they heard a loud growling noise and the sounds of some sort of large animal advancing. All of them fled for safety, except for Sawyer. As the animal approached, Sawyer pulled out a gun and shot it twice.

Everyone else came back when they heard the gunshots to find that it was a particularly large polar bear.

They were obviously shocked. What was a polar bear doing in the middle of a jungle?

Boone asked, "Was that what killed the pilot?"

Charlie and Kate shook their heads with certainty. Charlie said, "That's small compared to what killed the pilot."

Kate turned to Sawyer and asked, "Where did that come from?"

Sawyer said sarcastically, "From the bear village? How should I know, Freckles!"

Kate said, "I meant the gun."

Sawyer said, "I found it on one of the bodies, the marshal."

Sayid accused, "You were the prisoner he was escorting! That's how you knew how to find the gun!"

Sawyer said, "And you're the terrorist."

Kate took the gun from him and pointed it at him. "Does anyone here know how to use a gun?"

Charlie quipped, "I think you pull the trigger."

Kate said, "I want to take it apart."

Sayid nodded and said, "Push that button."

Kate did, pocketed the clip, and handed the empty gun back to Sawyer.

Kate walked away behind a tree and seemed lost in her memories for a while. Sayid approached her and told her that they should get moving. She nodded, and they began walking again.

* * *

Jack was removing the shrapnel from the marshal's chest. He had administered the last bit of morphine to him before the surgery and had begun to carefully remove the shrapnel. He had asked Hurley to hold the man steady.

Hurley seemed to be terrified, claiming to not be good around blood, so Jack told him to just look away.

When Jack removed the shrapnel, he asked Hurley to hand him a towel so that he could clean the wound. Hurley looked down and fainted.

The doctor pulled Hurley off of the marshal and finished cleaning the wound.

* * *

After Jennifer and Erik had spent thirty minutes or so reading together, they decided to take a stroll along the beach, and then to gather more bamboo so that they could make some furniture. Erik replaced his mask and donned his fedora.

They strolled casually for a little while, holding hands, until they came upon the Korean man, who was carrying a tray of sea food that he had collected from the ocean. He offered for them to try some in Korean and tried to make his body language express that.

He seemed surprised when Erik responded, in Korean, "I have already eaten, thank you, but perhaps my wife would like to try some."

Erik then turned to Jennifer and asked, "My dear, would you like to try some of this food? I can tell that all of it is edible and quite safe."

Jennifer nodded, and tried a bite. The Korean asked, "You speak Korean?"

Erik replied, "Yes. I traveled with some Tonkin pirates for a time, but that was back in my youth."

The man offered his hand. "My name is Jin."

Erik shook his hand. He said, "I am Erik, and this is my wife, Jennifer."

Jin offered Jennifer his hand, and she shook it and said awkwardly but politely, "It's nice to meet you."

Erik translated, and Jin nodded in response. Then he called his wife, Sun, over and introduced her to them.

Then Erik told Jin, "We really must be going now." Jin nodded, and Erik and Jennifer began walking towards the place where they had gathered the bamboo when they built the shelter.

They gathered some bamboo. Jennifer carried what she could, and Erik carried all of the rest that they would need. Erik set to work on building two chairs, and Jennifer helped however she could.

After the chairs were completed, Jennifer said, "I'd like to take a nap now."

Erik nodded, removed his cloak, and placed it over her as she lay down on the hammock. He kissed her on the forehead and sat down on his new chair, since he wasn't tired.

After she had fallen asleep, he silently moved his chair so that it was closer to the hammock and stroked her dark brown hair gently as she slept.

* * *

Please leave a review to let me know what you think. 


	71. Frightening Discoveries

In the jungle near the beach, Matt and Kevin were gathering bamboo, stones, wood, and anything else they could use to fashion weapons. They brought all of their supplies to their makeshift shelter and began making weapons.

Brad, Kelly, and Dania had been gathering food earlier. After they had gathered some fruit and put it in their shelter, they decided to go the fuselage. They began searching for their luggage and eventually found it. They each brought their luggage to their own rooms and began to unpack, and they all noticed that Jennifer and Erik were in their room.

* * *

Jack had finished cleaning the wound where the shrapnel had been removed. The morphine had just worn off, and the marshal was muttering now. He kept saying, "She's dangerous…"

Suddenly, the man grabbed Jack and asked, "Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Look…look in the back pocket of my jacket."

Jack found the jacket and located the back pocket. In it, Jack found a folded sheet of paper.

Unfolding the paper and examining it, Jack was shocked.

It was a mug shot of Kate.

* * *

A bald man named Locke was playing backgammon on the beach. A young black boy named Walt saw him playing and said, "Is that like checkers?" 

"It's a much better game than checkers. Would you like me to teach you?"

Walt nodded and sat down on the sand. Locke asked, "Where are you from?"

"Australia."

"You don't have an Australian accent."

"I've only been living there for three months. My mom and I traveled a lot, but she died earlier this week."

"It sounds like you've had a tough week."

Walt nodded. "My dad was taking me to live with him in America."

Locke asked, "Walt, would you like to know a secret?"

* * *

Sayid, Kate, Sawyer, Boone, and Shannon (Boone's sister) had finally reached high enough ground to use the transceiver. Sayid turned it on and tried to broadcast a message, but it didn't seem to be working. 

Boone asked, "Why isn't it working?"

Sayid answered, "There is nothing wrong with the transceiver. There is already a message playing, and we can't send one over it."

They all listened to it, and indeed there was a message. It was in French. After the message played once, a different voice said a number, and the message began playing again.

Sayid exclaimed, "It's a loop. It repeats over and over again."

Charlie asked, "Does anyone here speak French?"

Boone turned to his sister and said, "You spent the summer in Paris once."

"I was drinking, not studying!"

Sawyer asked, "Do you knowFrench or not?"

Shannon nodded, and Sayid handed her the transceiver. She held it to her ear and listened to it. She attempted to translate it: "Please…help…I'm all alone…I'm alone on the island…it killed them…it killed all of them."

After she was done translating the message, Sayid said, "The message is about fifteen seconds long, so it's been playing for about…"

Sayid calculated the time in his head. Sawyer quipped, "Don't forget to carry the one."

Sayid's eyes widened as he said, "This message has been playing repeatedly for sixteen years."

They all nearly panicked, and eventually decided to set up a camp there for the night, as evening was approaching and they didn't want to be in the jungle at night."

Sayid said, "We shouldn't tell people about the transmission. They'll lose hope, and hope is a very precious thing."

Kate nodded and said, "So we lie."

* * *

Back in the shelter, Jennifer had been sleeping soundly, and Erik had continued to stroke her hair gently. Suddenly, however, Jennifer's countenance changed from tranquility to fear and she began to thrash about wildly. 

Erik gathered her into his arms, placed her gently in his lap, and tried to wake her up and calm her down. She continued thrashing and Erik could see tears flowing down her face.

He held her closer and began to hum, hoping that this would calm her.

After a few moments, it did. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. She said, "Erik…" Then she collapsed into him, burying her face in his chest and crying.

Erik rubbed her back gently and said soothingly and melodically, "Everything is all right, my dear. You are safe and awake now. Everything's fine."

Jennifer muttered, still shaking and breathing heavily, "Erik, I had a terrible dream."

"I know you did, my dear. Was it about what Matt and Kevin did to you?"

Jennifer nodded. "That was a big part of it. And you had another heart attack in the dream, and other horrible things happened, and everything was so terrible! I was so frightened, Erik! This nightmare felt so real! I've always been a nervous person, but this was awful."

"I believe it, my dear. You have been through quite a lot lately. I know that you were easily frightened to begin with, but what you have been through is more than enough to traumatize anyone. My dear, I need you to know that I love you, and that I am protecting you. You needn't worry about a thing. It's all right to be afraid, but you just need to know that I am taking care of you."

Jennifer reached up and kissed his cheek. She said, "Thank you for making me feel safe, Erik. I love you."

Erik cupped her chin in one hand and kissed her chastely and gently on the lips. With his other hand, he began to wipe her tears away. She was still shaking slightly, but he smiled at her gently and she returned his smile weakly.

Erik kissed her tenderly on the forehead and said, "You are probably most hungry. Would you like to get some food?"

Jennifer nodded and continued to smile weakly at him. Erik had to get up to replace his mask, and Jennifer sat in the chair waiting for him.

After Erik replaced his mask and put on his gloves, he offered her his hand. She accepted it and, as they walked out of the shelter, she stayed very close to him.

* * *

Please leave a review to let me know what you think! 


	72. Fishing

This chapter is basically just "fluff." Please enjoy, and leave a review if you wish.

* * *

As Jennifer and Erik were leaving the shelter, Kelly approached them. She appeared to be very concerned. She said, "I heard some screams. Are you all right?"

Jennifer nodded drowsily. Erik explained, "Jennifer just had a very frightening nightmare; she is all right now, though. We were just about to eat dinner. Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I haven't."

Erik nodded. "All right, then. You could eat with us if you wish."

"That sounds good. I have some fruit in my room. I gathered it earlier today. Would you like some?"

Jennifer smiled and said, "That would be great!" Then she turned to Erik. "Could I help you fish tonight?"

Erik considered it for a moment and then nodded. He then said, "You must be very careful, though, and you must stay fairly close to me, in case something unexpected happens."

Jennifer agreed, and she and Erik walked onto the beach together as Kelly went to get the fruit she had gathered earlier.

Erik suggested, "Perhaps you should change into a bathing suit first, though."

Jennifer said, "You're right, Erik. That hadn't really occurred to me; I completely forgot that it was in my backpack. I'll go change now."

Erik nodded and said, "And I need to go back into the room to prepare the nets."

They walked back into the shelter together. Erik grabbed the nets and sat down to wait for Jennifer on the hammock. Jennifer went straight for her backpack and took it with her behind the partition.

When Jennifer came out, she was dressed rather modestly considering that she was wearing swimwear, but she was still blushing furiously. She wore a blue one-piece bathing suit and a teal "swim-dress" (a different one than the one mentioned before) that was about knee-length.

Noticing her discomfort, Erik approached her and offered her his hand. She put her hand in his, and, lifting his mask up just a little bit with his other hand, he lifted her hand up to his lips, very slowly so that she wouldn't be frightened, and kissed her hand gently. He noticed that her eyes were still red from crying, but he also noticed that she relaxed a little bit when he kissed her hand. He said, "My dear, you needn't feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about wearing a swimsuit."

"I know that, and I know that it's the most practical outfit for going into the ocean to fish. It just makes me feel awkward."

"It's all right, my darling. You can change back as soon as we're done fishing. Do you need to put sunscreen on your legs?"

Jennifer nodded and went to her bag to grab the bottle of sunscreen. She sat down on the hammock and applied it to her legs, and reapplied it to her arms and her face. When she was done, she placed the bottle back into her backpack. Then she said, "I'm ready to go, Erik."

"Then take my hand." Jennifer complied, and Erik led her out of the shelter.

When they arrived at the shore, Erik handed Jennifer a net. They noticed that Brad and Dania had joined Kelly, who had gotten her fruit out of her room and placed on the said, and had began making a fire. Erik and Jennifer waded into the water.

Erik reminded Jennifer to stay near him, and she nodded. Erik started fishing, and Jennifer watched what he did carefully. She then attempted to imitate him.

Suddenly, Jennifer lost her balance and started to fall over. However, Erik caught her before she hit the water.

Erik said, "Be careful, my darling! Here, let me help you." He demonstrated how to catch the fish.

She did as he did, and exclaimed, giggling softly, "I caught one!"

"Good job, my dear. Try again. Catch one more."

Jennifer did as she had done before, and succeeded again. Now they had all the fish they would need. They were small fish, but they would do.

They walked across the beach, near to one another. Noticing Jennifer's ecstatic smile, Erik couldn't help but kiss the top of her head. They brought their catches to the fire that the other students had built and the three students offered to begin cooking the fish.

Erik escorted Jennifer back to the shelter, where she changed back into what she had been wearing before. They ate dinner together, and then they lay on the hammock together, both thinking of what an idyllic evening they had shared after Jennifer's nightmare was over. Erik sang Jennifer to sleep with a lullaby of his own composition and then he fell asleep, feeling very content.


	73. Lies

I'm sorry this update took so long, but now that school's out, I should be able to write more often (although I have a total of five summer assignments.)

* * *

The next morning, Sayid, Boone, Shannon, Sawyer, and Kate woke up early. When Sawyer woke up, he exclaimed, "Where's my gun? Who took my gun?"

Kate said, "The clip is gone, too!"

Boone said, "It's okay! I took the gun and the clip because I wanted to stand guard!"

Everyone argued with each other for a while, no one trusting anyone else with the gun.

Suddenly, Shannon pointed at Kate. "Let her carry the gun!"

Sayid agreed. "Yes, let Kate carry the gun."

Boone nodded and handed the gun to Kate, and they set off for the beach.

* * *

Jennifer woke up about four hours before sunrise, but, as they had gone to sleep quite early, she really didn't feel tired. Erik was already awake, and he was stroking her hair very gently while her head rested against his chest. 

When Erik noticed Jennifer beginning to stir, he kissed her tenderly on the forehead and said, "Good morning, my angel."

She nodded. "Good morning, Erik."

They held hands for a while, and Erik continued stroking her hair lightly. They cuddled for about half an hour, and then they decided that they should start their lessons. They studied math for an hour, and then Erik decided that they should leave their shelter for their science lesson.

They studied science outside for about an hour, walking arm in arm at the border of the beach and the jungle. Erik pointed out many different plants, and they eventually headed back to their room.

Back at the shelter, they decided that they should change for the day. Jennifer picked out her outfit from her backpack and went behind the partition to change, while Erik remained on the opposite side of the partition and changed into a clean suit.

When Jennifer came out, she was wearing a pair of long black pants and a black t-shirt, which had that short green man (Zim) and that crazy little robot (Gir) on it with the words, "We're perfectly normal!"

She looked a little bit more confident than usual because she was wearing baggier clothes than she had worn the day before. Erik hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.

Jennifer kissed him on the cheek lightly. She smiled up at him and said, "I love you, Erik."

"My angel, I love you, too. Would you like to have your music lesson now?"

"Yes, Erik. I would like that."

They began their music lesson. They sang together for half of an hour. Then Erik began to teach Jennifer how to play violin.

Erik asked, "Have you ever played the violin before?"

Jennifer nodded. "Just a little bit. I played it in fourth and fifth grade, but then I stopped."

Erik taught her for thirty minutes, and then they decided to eat breakfast. They grabbed two coconuts and sat on the hammock together. They each ate one, and then Erik got the book they had been reading the day before out and they began reading together.

Half an hour later, they decided to venture out onto the beach together. As they were leaving their room, Dania emerged from her room. She had apparently just changed for the day.

She said, "Good morning."

Jennifer responded in kind and Erik nodded. Jennifer asked, "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Yes, we ate half an hour ago. Have you?"

Dania shook her head, "I was just about to. Brad made another net yesterday; I think he's fishing now."

Jennifer asked, "Do you know where Kelly is?"

Dania nodded. "Yes, we were just talking. She went to change her close and get some of the leftover fruit. We collected quite a lot."

Erik said, "We were just going to go for a walk. Would you like to accompany us after your breakfast?"

Dania agreed, and then Kelly came out of her room. Seeing Jennifer and Erik there, she said, "Hi! Good morning!"  
Erik and Jennifer said, "Good morning."

Dania said, "They just invited me to take a walk with them after breakfast. Would you like to come?"

"That'd be great!"

Erik nodded, "Very well, then. You may come with us."

They all left the shelter together. Brad had already caught a few fish and was setting up some wood for a fire.

Erik ignited the wood with a small wave of his hand and Brad, Dania, and Kelly each cooked their fish and ate breakfast. While they were eating, Kelly invited Brad on their walk. Brad agreed to come, and Erik nodded.

After they had eaten breakfast, they set off across the beach on their walk.

Sayid, Boone, Shannon, Kate, and Sawyer had just returned from their trip to the tall hill. Sayid said, "We were unable to get a signal. But do not lose hope! If you collect electronic devices like laptops and cell phones, we can boost the signal and try again, but it could take some time. So, in the meantime, we need to begin rationing our remaining food supply. When it rains, we need to collect water. We all need to work together."

Erik offered Jennifer his hand while Sayid was dividing people into groups. Jennifer took it and looked at him quizzically.

Erik explained, "I need you tell me everything you know about this island. I thought we should go somewhere else where no one can overhear us."

Jennifer nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

They walked a little way into the jungle and Jennifer explained everything she knew about the show, its characters, and its setting.


	74. Fire!

Sorry for the delay. My reason for posting a bit late is that I have finally seen Phantom on stage! Yay!

Please enjoy this chapter, and leave a review if you wish!

* * *

The doctor had gone to the fuselage in pursuit of medical supplies. While he was searching through a bag, Sawyer surprised him. "What are you looking for, doc?"

"Medicine. You?"

"I got some booze and some cigarettes. That just about covers everything. You see, you're still living by civilization's rules."

"And you aren't?"

"Me? I'm in the wild."

Sawyer left the fuselage, and Jack continued searching for medicine.

* * *

Jennifer had finished telling Erik everything she knew about _Lost_ and they had gone back to the beach, where Brad, Dania, and Kelly where waiting for them. They all continued their walk along the beach, and Erik and Jennifer walked arm in arm. They discussed recent events. Dania, who was an avid fan of _Lost_, had apparently filled Brad and Kelly in on the series while Jennifer was describing it to Erik.

Eventually, they came to the part of the beach where Matt and Kevin had built their small shelter. Matt and Kevin were inside the shelter making weapons. Kevin saw them first and exclaimed, "It's the phantom!"

Suddenly, they both hurled their spears in the direction of Erik. Erik managed to deflect one of the spears with a long blade that he had pulled from within his cloak, but the other pierced Brad's right leg.

Erik was enraged that the twins had the audacity to attack them, and exclaimed, "You insolent children!" With a single graceful motion of his left hand, their small shelter was ablaze.

Meanwhile, Kelly, Dania, and Jennifer had rushed to Brad's aid. Kelly had retained a fraction of the healing powers that she had gained while in Star Wars, and began using them on Brad's wound after the three girls had removed the spear.

The twins were quite distracted by the fire that was quickly consuming their shelter, so they scarcely noticed Erik's already practically silent footsteps as he approached them and picked them up by the collars of their shirts. His eyes were glowing yellow in his anger and were quite a menacing sight.

He carried them to a pair of trees and shoved each twin's back against one. He nearly hissed, "Do you two _want_ to die? I would kill you now, but my wife is here and she would not approve. She is the only reason that you are still alive! This is, yet again, another warning. Leave me, my wife, and my wife's friends in peace."

After he said that, he slammed each of their heads against a tree with enough force to render them unconscious, but not dead. Then he walked back to the beach, where Jennifer, Kelly, and Dania were tending Brad's injury.

Jennifer noticed his approach immediately and went up to him. She embraced him, burying her head in his chest. Noticing her obvious fear, Erik gently stroked her back.

Jennifer asked in a whisper, "You didn't kill them, did you?"

Erik sighed before responding, "No, my dear, I did not. They are merely unconscious."

Jennifer breathed out in relief. She moved a little bit closer to him and muttered, "Thank you, Erik."

Erik nodded. He gently cupped her chin in his hand and bent down to kiss her softly on the forehead. They hugged for a few more moments, and Erik was calming down.

When the embrace ended, Erik approached Brad and said to Dania and Kelly, "He ought to be taken to the doctor." He then picked Brad up and the whole group walked towards the main camp.


	75. An Argument and a Kiss

The group arrived at the doctor's tent about fifteen minutes later. He was checking the marshal's wound. He turned as Erik entered carrying Brad, who was still conscious but in some pain, and Jennifer, Kelly, and Dania entered behind him. 

He looked concerned and asked, "What happened?"

"Two children who were on the plane attacked us. I have warned them against such behavior in the future, but I believe that this young man needs medical attention."

Having said that, he placed Brad on the floor and offered Jennifer his gloved hand. She accepted it quickly, and he led her out of the tent.

Looking into the distance, Erik could see that the fire had gone out.

He asked Jennifer, "Would you like to return to the shelter and resume our lessons now, or would you rather take a walk first?"

Jennifer answered, "Let's take a walk first." She smiled weakly. He smiled back at her. They walked hand in hand down the beach towards their shelter, conversing happily but somewhat reservedly.

By the time they were nearing the shelter, Erik realized that Jennifer seemed slightly frightened. "What's the matter, my dear?"

"You lost your temper today, Erik."

"Yes, I did. They hurt your friend, and they could have hurt you. Of course I got angry."

"You burned down their shelter."

"Yes, I did. They could have hurt you."

Jennifer hugged Erik and said softly, "Erik, it's just that…well, you know that I don't like it when you hurt people. I don't like violence, and I'm frightened whenever you're angry."

Erik stroked her hair. "You know that I won't ever hurt you, dear. You needn't ever be frightened."

Erik could feel a slight wetness on his shirt from her tears. She pulled away slightly to look up at him. "I'm not frightened for myself; I trust you and I know you won't hurt me. I'm frightened for other people."

"I didn't kill them."

She smiled up at him. "I know, Erik, and I'm very glad that you didn't. I would understand if you hurt someone in defense. But you didn't have to burn down their shelter to defend me, and you didn't have to chase after them. But I really am proud of you for not killing them."

She suddenly stood on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips gently and chastely against his. She then leaned into his chest, and he placed one arm around her waist. She muttered, "I love you."

Erik was shaking with emotion, and he placed his other arm on her back and gently stroked it. "I love you, too, my dear. You still seem frightened. What's wrong?"

"I feel like…have I done something wrong?"

"No, my dear. What did you do that could have been wrong?"

"That was the first time I kissed you on the lips completely on my own."

"Yes, it was. Why would that be wrong? You kissed me very innocently. It was such a sweet gesture, and you've made me very happy. I think perhaps you are just not used to being kissed, much less giving a kiss, however chaste. Is that how you feel?"

"I think so, Erik. It just felt strange. I mean, it made me feel happy, but it felt a little bit different."

"That's all right, my angel. You haven't done anything wrong. Would you like to continue our walk now?"

"All right."

They walked past their shelter for a while and then went back in. They studied until sunset, and then decided to walk back to the main camp to see how Brad was doing.

* * *

Please review! 


	76. A Gunshot

Earlier that day, it was raining on the beach. Kate went into the tent to see the warden while the doctor wasn't there. She got lost in thoughts of her past.

After a few minutes, the warden suddenly woke up and grabbed Kate's neck, attempting to choke her. The doctor rushed in and separated them and then calmed the warden down. The warden lost consciousness, and Jack asked Kate, "What did you do?"

"Nothing."

Jack examined the warden. "His fever is about 104, and his abdomen is rigid. I have to get him some water." Jack left the tent and Kate followed him. They had to yell because the rain was pouring.

Kate asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I told you. I'm going to get him some water."

"Will he suffer?"  
"What?"

"Will his death be quick?"

"No. It won't be quick. It could take anywhere from two to four days! I have to bring him this water."

Elsewhere on the beach, Michael and his son Walt were sitting under the makeshift shelter they had made from parts of the wrecked plane.

Walt said, "Locke told me a secret."

"He did? What is it?"

"I can't tell you."

"You can tell me."

"He…he said a miracle happened to him."

"Well, a miracle happened to all of us. We survived a plane crash. Listen, I don't want you to talk to Locke anymore."

"Why not? Locke is my friend."

"Well, I'm your friend, too."

"If you were my friend, you would find Vincent."

"Look, I'm going to find your dog."

"When?"

"As soon as the rain stops." As if in response to Michael, the rain suddenly stopped, and he set off in search of Walt's dog.

Later on, Kate was trying to light a fire while thinking about the warden when Sawyer approached. He asked, "Need a light?"

Kate nodded. He tossed her his lighter and she lit the wood. He sat down next to her and said, "You know, it must be a lot of pressure to be the only person with a gun right now, to know what has to be done with the warden screaming in pain and to be the only one able to do anything about it." Then Sawyer left, and Kate contemplated what he had said.

* * *

Erik and Jennifer arrived at the doctor's tent. Kelly and Dania were outside talking, and Brad was sitting on the ground, his wound treated and bandaged. Brad noticed them first and said, "Hi."

Jennifer asked, "Do you feel any better?"

"Just a little bit."

Erik said, "Is the doctor in the tent?"

Kelly said, "Yes. The warden just woke up."

In the tent, the warden asked, "Where is she?"

"What did Kate do?"

"I need to talk to her."

"I need to know what Kate did."

"Listen to me. No matter what she does, no matter what she says or how she makes you feel, don't trust a word she says. She will do anything to get away. I need to talk to Kate alone."

Jack nodded and went to get Kate.

Kate entered the tent and stood there for a little while, until the warden asked, "What was your request?"

"What are you talking about?"

"On the plane, right before we crashed, you said you had a request. What was it?"

"I wanted to make sure that the man who turned me in got his $23,000 reward. He had one hell of a mortgage."

He laughed. "I want to die. Kill me."

After he said that, Sawyer came in. Kate gave him the gun and left the tent.

In that time, Erik had been asking the doctor about Brad's health and they discussed various recent events and topics. Jennifer was talking to Brad, Dania, and Kelly. A few moments after Kate left the tent, they all heard a gunshot.

Jack ran towards the tent as Sawyer came out, carrying the gun. He yelled, "What did you do?"  
"I only did what you couldn't do. He asked me to kill him."

Everyone heard groans coming from within the tent. Jack rushed into the tent. "You shot him in the chest?"

"I was aiming for his heart."

"Well, you missed. It will take hours for him to die now."

"I…I only had one bullet."

"Get out. Get out!"

Sawyer left the tent.

Outside of the tent, Jennifer, Kelly, and Dania were shaken by what they had heard, even though they knew that it would happen. Erik placed his arm around Jennifer's shoulders to comfort her. Then they hugged and she whispered, "Let's go back to the shelter."

"As you wish, my dear." Dania, Brad, and Kelly agreed to go back with them, and everyone helped Brad to get up and balance himself on a crutch made of bamboo.

When they arrived back in the shelter, Erik and Jennifer split one of their last remaining coconuts. Jennifer commented that she hadn't had an opportunity to bathe recently and that she really wished she could soon.

Erik said that they would build a tub to put behind the partition the next morning, and that for the moment she should rest.

Jennifer agreed, and they both lay down on the hammock. Erik sang her to sleep and continued stroking her hair for a few hours until he fell asleep.

* * *

Please leave a review to let me know what you think! 


	77. A Dog Found

Michael was wandering through the jungle searching for Vincent, Walt's dog. He heard some strange noises and, believing that something was pursuing him, he began running. He eventually arrived at a clearing in the jungle, where he saw Jin's wife, Sun, bathing.

Sun hurriedly covered herself. Michael awkwardly muttered an explanation and reassured her that he hadn't seen anything, even though he knew that she did not understand English. Then he left hastily.

Elsewhere on the beach, Locke was making a whistle.

* * *

When Jennifer woke up, she realized that Erik was not on the hammock. She drowsily sat up and looked around the room and discovered that he was behind the partition, apparently hard at work at some project. She called him, and within a few moments he came to her side and sat on the nearest chair.

He held her hand and gently caressed it for a few moments, and then raised it to his lips (he was not wearing his mask.) Then he whispered, "My darling, you should continue resting. I am building a tub for you now. Would you like for me to sing to you again so that you can fall back asleep, my dear?"

Jennifer nodded. "Yes, Erik."

Erik sang a soft lullaby and Jennifer soon drifted off into sleep with a content smile on her face. Erik kissed her gently on the forehead and resumed his work.

A few hours later, Erik had completed the tub. He sat down on the chair and watched Jennifer sleep peacefully for a little while, and then she began to stir.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she said softly, "Good morning, Erik. What time is it?"

"It's around five o' clock, my dear. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Erik. I didn't have any nightmares at all."

"That is excellent. I have completed the bathtub for you. I just need to get some water to fill it. Would you like to help me?"

"All right."

He handed her a large bucket, and carried two slightly larger buckets himself.

Jennifer asked, "Where did you get these buckets?"

Erik said, "I found them in the fuselage. It's also where I found the materials to build the tub." Erik set the buckets down to put on his black silken mask and then picked them up again.

They left the shelter and went into the jungle in pursuit of a source of fresh water. They eventually found one and filled their buckets with it. They walked back and chatted happily about nothing in particular. They entered their room in the shelter.

Jennifer noticed that Erik had also added a door to the partition so that it was now really a separate room. Jennifer opened the door and saw the tub for the first time.

It was apparently made out of steel or some other metal. She could tell that he had worked very hard on it. She poured her bucket into the tub, noticing that he had even made a small drain that sent out the water through a sturdy bamboo pipe, as well as a stopper that fit it and was currently in place.

Erik had placed both of his buckets down, and as Jennifer left the partitioned room, Erik poured about three-quarters of his bucket into the tub. It was now sufficiently full for Jennifer to bathe in it.

Jennifer hugged him as soon as he had placed the bucket on the ground. She said happily, "Thank you very much, Erik! Thank you for making this for me."

Erik patted her head and smiled, something he still was unused to and thus had a bit of trouble with. "Of course, my love. You know I'll build anything to please you."

Jennifer blushed slightly, and then looked up at him and smiled back. "I know that, Erik. You must have worked very hard on it, though. Did you get enough rest?"

"Yes. I slept for more than an hour before I began working on it. That's enough rest for now."

"All right, Erik. I'm going to take my bath now." After she said that, she went to her large backpack and found what she was looking for. She retrieved her shampoo, a bar of soap, a small towel, and a change of clothes and entered the partitioned area, closing the door behind her.

Erik got out his violin and played softly until she came out half an hour later, wearing a pair of black pants identical to the ones she had been wearing before, a baggy black shirt that displayed the periodic table, and her usual tennis shoes. She said, "Erik, I should probably wash my clothes soon."

He nodded. "Use the remainder of water in that bucket. I'll use the other bucket for my bath."

Jennifer nodded back. She retrieved another bar of soap and another towel and handed it to him. He took the other bucket, a change of clothes, and the items she handed to him, brought them into the partitioned room, and closed the door.

Jennifer began washing all of the clothes that she had worn over the previous days. When Erik came out a short time later wearing a different but nearly identical suit, she had completed her task.

Erik said, "We will need a rack to hang those up on. I will retrieve some of the leftover bamboo." He went outside and quickly found it and built the long rack along one of the walls. Jennifer placed the clothes there to dry.

Erik asked, "Are you hungry, my dear? We could go out on the beach now, and I will collect some fish and more coconuts."

"That sounds good, Erik."

He offered her his arm and she accepted it.

* * *

Locke was sitting on a rock near the edge of the jungle with his whistle. He blew it a few times, and it let out a very high-pitched sound that seemed nearly inaudible. Eventually a golden-colored dog ran out of the jungle and sat down near him, panting.

Locke tethered the dog to a nearby tree and went to tell Michael.

Michael seemed incredulous. "Why are you telling me instead of Walt?"

"I heard that he lost his mother. I thought that you should be the one to bring him his dog."

"Well, thanks"

"You're welcome."

Locke left, and Michael went to go get Walt's dog.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Please leave a review to let me know what you think. 


	78. Smokey

Jack was sitting on the beach that morning. Kate approached him and sat down next to him.

"Jack…I want to tell you what I did."

Jack shook his head. He said, "Kate, nothing that happened before the crash matters anymore. We all died when that plane crashed. We all get a second chance."

Kate nodded and said, "See you later" as she left the beach.

A few minutes after Kate left, Jack heard a noise coming from a short distance down the beach. He ran to investigate the sound.

Under a pair of trees, Jack came upon two boys, identical twins, injured severely. They had been knocked out, had regained consciousness, and had been unable to move due to some branches that had apparently just fallen onto their legs.

Jack removed the branches and tried to rouse them. Matt and Kevin opened their eyes drearily. Jack noted that they could possibly have concussions and asked them what had happened.

Kevin said, "The phantom attacked us."

Jack questioned, "The phantom?"

Matt nodded weakly and added, "Erik."

Jack frowned. "Erik? You mean the masked man with the awfully young wife?"

The twins nodded, and Kevin said, "You have met them?"

Jack nodded.

Matt said, "Then you must know that she is his prisoner. He kidnapped her, and now she has Stockholm syndrome."

Kevin said, "We keep trying to get him away from her, and that's why we were hurt like this."

Jack said, "Right now, I need to get help to carry you to my tent."

The twins both nodded, and Jack left.

Jack found Kate, Charlie, and Sayid and asked them for help. They all agreed and went to his tent, where they took two of the makeshift stretchers, and then set off to get Matt and Kevin.

* * *

After Erik and Jennifer had eaten breakfast, they went back into the shelter and had their music lesson. Then Erik said, "My dear, you were curious about how I used the fire, my magic trick?"

"Yes, Erik. I was, and I still am."

Erik smirked. "Would you like to learn how to do it?"

"Yes, Erik, I would! That would be great!"

Erik smiled, and kissed her cheek. He said, "Then let's find a clearing in the jungle and I'll teach you."

They did, and Erik showed her how to perform the trick. He warned, "It's very difficult, so I would prefer that you don't practice it without my supervision."

Jennifer nodded and began practicing.

Erik was right; it was extremely difficult. After an hour of practice, all that she could muster was a few sparks.

Erik, nevertheless, was proud of her. He didn't expect her to be able to perform the trick after only an hour of practice, and she was doing very well. However, all he said was, "My dear, it is time for our other lessons. We can work on this again after dinner."

Jennifer nodded, feeling a bit disappointed with herself, and they walked back to the shelter, noticing that Brad, Kelly, and Dania were gone, presumably to gather more fruit.

They continued their reading lessons and spent some time studying mathematics and science. Then Erik taught Jennifer a little bit of French.

Erik said, "I'm not hungry, but if you are, I could get you some food."

"Thank you, Erik. I am a bit peckish."

Then they went outside and Erik went fishing. He caught a small fish, started a fire, and cooked it. Jennifer ate the little fish and, when she was full, she said, "I'm ready, Erik."

They hugged, and then stood up and went back to the clearing. She worked really hard, and had a bit more success than the last time. By the end of the session, she had managed to produce a very small ring of flames.

Erik said, "Much better, my dear. Would you like to go back to the shelter now, or would you prefer to go to the beach were the other people are?"

"Let's take a walk on the beach, Erik."

"All right, dear. Could I…kiss you now?"

"Of course, Erik. Do you…need your mask off?"

Erik responded, "It does make it easier." He took off the mask and, putting one arm around Jennifer's waist and holding on of Jennifer's hand in the other, he whispered, "Please, don't be frightened."

Then he placed his lips on hers. He passionately but slowly deepened the kiss, which lasted for quite a while.

When Erik finally pulled away, they just looked at each other for a while, smiling lightly. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise. Jennifer looked aghast. Erik spun around to see what she was looking at.

Floating right behind him was a large wisp of smoke that seemed to be alive. Against their reason, their instincts told them to look straight into it.

It seemed to be staring back at them, and it looked as though it was somehow scanning them. After a few minutes, it floated off into the jungle.

Erik said, "What exactly was that?"

Jennifer answered, "Smokey the Monster. It didn't appear until much later in the show. It…it seemed so sentient."

"Let's just…skip our walk and go back to the shelter."

"Sounds good to me."

Thoroughly shaken up, the couple walked back to their shelter.

* * *

I'm sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up. I just got back from my vacation a few days ago, and it's been difficult to get back into writing.

Thank you for reading, and please leave a review!


	79. Trouble

As Matt and Kevin's injuries to the legs and head were treated, they continued talking about Erik and about how Jennifer was in danger as long as she was with him.

Jack said, "I should go see if she really is in danger."

Matt and Kevin nodded and began to rest so that they could recover quicker.

* * *

Erik and Jennifer arrived back at the shelter to see Kelly and Dania returning with more fruit from out of the jungle. Brad had been resting in his room for the day.

As Erik and Jennifer approached, Kelly offered them some of the fruit, asking, "Are you hungry?"

Erik shook his head, and Jennifer said, "No, we just ate a little while ago."

Kelly nodded, and she and Dania went to eat some of the fruit for dinner.

Jennifer and Erik went into their room at the shelter and sat down on the hammock. Erik got the book that they had been reading before and they continued reading together. After a while, Jennifer went into the partitioned room to change into her pajamas. Erik sat on the hammock while she was changing.

Suddenly Erik heard a knock on the outer door of the shelter. He approached the door and walked to the outer door. He asked, "Who is it?"

A voice on the other side responded, "It's Jack, the doctor. Erik?"

Erik opened the door. He said, "What is it that you want?"

"I should probably change Brad's bandage."

"All right. He's in the room over there." Erik pointed out the room, and then walked silently back into his own.

Jack knocked on Brad's door and Brad said he could enter. Jack changed the bandage and left the room. Then he went to Erik's room and knocked on the door.

Erik opened the door slowly, and Jack saw into the room. Jennifer was sitting peacefully on one of the chairs in her pajamas, looking very relaxed. Jack was astounded at how much makeshift furniture Erik had built in a relatively short period of time. Erik asked, "Is there something that you want?"

Jack said, "Yes. May I come in?"

Erik thought for a moment before deciding that he could and saying so. He asked, "What is wrong?"

Jack frowned. "I found two boys in the jungle today. They said that you attacked them and that you are holding Jennifer prisoner."

Erik thought, "It's their word against mine, and perhaps the doctor will trust my word."

Answering Jack, he said, "Those boys have been trying to hurt me and my wife since we got married. I attacked them in the defense of Jennifer and her friends."

Jennifer confirmed what Erik said. "Matt and Kevin attacked us with spears. They were the ones who hurt Brad. And I am not being held prisoner."

Erik said, "Yes, doctor, she most definitely is not my prisoner. She is my wife. Would you like to see our marriage certificate?" Erik pulled it out of his cloak and handed it to the doctor. "Will that be sufficient evidence that the twins are only trying to cause more trouble for us?"

Jack handed the paper back to Erik and turned to leave. "Yes, I believe it will be. Good evening, both of you."

Erik and Jennifer both responded, "Good evening," and Jack left the shelter and headed back towards his tent.

* * *

When Jack arrived back at the tent, he told everyone that what the twins said seemed to be groundless. The twins responded, "No, it's not groundless."

Kevin said, "We're telling you that Jennifer is being held prisoner, and that she has been held prisoner for long enough to experience Stockholm syndrome. She's basically brainwashed; if you ask her anything about it, she'll deny that she's a captive, and if you ask her captor, of course he'll deny it."

Jack responded, "He showed me their wedding certificate. It looked genuine."

Matt said, turning to Sayid, Kate, and Charlie, "It's true that they're married, but she didn't want to marry him. She only agreed to marry him to save the lives of our classmates! He is murderer and a torturer, and he would have killed all of us if she hadn't agreed! And I saw him rape her!"

Sayid said, "I'm not sure if I believe you."

Kate responded, "But if she really is in danger, we should do something." Charlie agreed.

Matt and Kevin nodded. The twins had recovered enough to walk with the aid of makeshift crutches (although walking would still be painful for them), so they stood up and said to Kate and Charlie, who seemed agree with them, "We need to go tell everyone else. Will you help us?"

Charlie and Kate nodded and set off with the twins to tell everyone else about Erik. Sayid followed behind to see what would happen.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Please review!


	80. Preparing for a Battle

After Jack left their shelter, Erik and Jennifer rested in their hammock, leisurely reading their book, a collection of stories and poems by Edgar Allan Poe. A little while later, they were becoming tired. Jennifer rested her head on Erik's chest, and Erik put his arms around her. They both drifted into a very tranquil sleep.

* * *

Matt and Kevin ended up convincing a sizable group of people that Erik was a dangerous threat to everyone and that he had to be stopped and that Jennifer needed to be rescued from him. As the group organized itself, Sayid crept away. 

He arrived at Erik and Jennifer's shelter and knocked on the door. Erik heard the knock and carefully climbed out of the hammock in a way that would not disturb Jennifer. He, put on his black mask, left the room, went to the main door, and asked who was there.

Sayid answered, "It's Sayid. This is urgent! Kevin and Matt have organized a mob against you. They are on their way here right now!"

Erik opened the door quickly and let Sayid into the shelter. "Do we have enough time to get away?"

"They could be here in a matter of seconds. I came here through the jungle so that they wouldn't notice that I had left right away."

"I'd better go wake everyone else up."

Erik entered his room first and woke Jennifer up. She asked, "What's wrong?"

"There's an angry mob on the way here."

"Oh. What are we going to do?"

"We are going to get away through the jungle. We must move quickly."

"All right. It's Matt and Kevin?"

Erik nodded, and they moved on into the next room. They awoke Brad, Dania, and Kelly and told them what was going on. Erik hurriedly told all of them to leave, but was interrupted by Sayid, who yelled, "The mob is here!"

Erik hurriedly told them about a trap-door he had built in the main room. He told them to hide in there.

Kelly and Dania helped Brad go through the small trap-door that blended in perfectly with the sand. Jennifer stayed with Erik, and he wrapped his cloak around her as she clung to him.

Sayid bolted the door with large stick, since the mob was too close for them to get away.

Erik pulled a few weapons from his cloak and handed them to Sayid. Then he armed himself with his Punjab lasso. Erik whispered to Jennifer, "Everything will be all right, my dear. I will protect you. Just hold on to me and be careful not to look. This will likely get violent."

They could hear the mob coming now, and it was beginning to break down the door. Everyone in the shelter was absolutely silent, until the stick snapped and the crowd entered.

It was a reasonably-sized group of about twenty people, armed with spears, with Matt and Kevin at the front. Jennifer did not recognize most of the people; they must have been extras in the show.

Erik's voice boomed throughout the shelter, "Why are you intruding here?"

Kevin said, "You've been holding Jennifer prisoner for too long, and we've come to stop you."

Erik said, "You know that that isn't true. Why don't you tell these people your real reasons for this?"

Matt said, "Our real reasons? You raped her!"

Erik said, "No, I didn't, and I find it difficult to believe that you who tortured her are so concerned about her safety."

Kevin said, "That's enough!" He lunged at Erik with his spear. Erik dodged it with a simple, graceful move and Kevin fell into the sand.

Matt incited the crowd to violence, and the anticipated fray began.

* * *

I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update, but school started again for me and I've had a lot of work to do. Please review! 


	81. A Ring of Flames and A Daroga

From his tent, Jack could see the chaos that was unfolding at Jennifer and Erik's shelter. He started heading there, until he met Locke, who was also heading toward the shelter to investigate. They decided to go there together, and walked quickly.

In a matter of minutes they had reached the shelter, and they cautiously entered the violent, chaotic scene.

Kevin had gotten up with the aid of his crutch, and was rallying the mob of people along with Matt. Erik had easily strangled several of the people in the mob who had approached him. Jennifer was still clinging to Erik under his cloak.

Erik killed a few more people who were trying to attack, and then suddenly he began to feel a pain in his chest and felt short of breath. He fell unconscious.

The mob came closer quickly, raising their weapons and ready to strike.

Jennifer acted quickly, though. She came out from Erik's cloak and yelled, "Stay away!" She used what Erik had taught her to shoot a small ring of fire from out of her hands to keep the crowd back.

Jack came forward, and she removed some of the fire so that he could get through. She said, "Please, help him."

Matt yelled, "Jennifer! This is your chance to leave him for good!"

Kevin screamed, "Think about it! You could leave now, and you would be safe!"

Jennifer responded, "No. I want you to leave us alone. I love him! Just leave us alone!" The flames flared with her anger and Jennifer struggled to maintain them, sweat beginning to cover her forehead.

Jennifer controlled the fires and walked backward towards the hidden trap-door. She exclaimed, "Friends! Focus on home together! Take us home!"

The last words she heard before she was surrounded by the whirlwind of white light came from Jack, as he said, "He's dead."

* * *

Nadir Khan was in his home reading when, suddenly, two people appeared seemingly out of nowhere, one of them holding a laptop with the label "Story Seeker 2004." The one holding the laptop was a woman in her late thirties with short, reddish-brown hair and glasses. The other one was a man in his late twenties with blonde hair. 

The daroga said, "Good morning. Who are you, and what do you want?"

The woman said, "We are employees of the government of the United States of America from the year 2005. You know about the Story Seeker, correct?"

"Yes."

The daroga nodded.

The man asked, "You know a man named Erik?"

The daroga said, "Yes."

The woman said, "Some detectives are currently searching for him in connection to a young girl whom he kidnapped and allegedly married. Do you know of her?"

"Yes, I know of Jennifer and I witnessed the wedding."

The male said, "If the detectives manage to catch him, he will likely be put on trial and spend quite a while in a mental institution. However, we know that he is not the easiest man to catch, and that there is more to this story than the detectives are authorized to know, namely about the Story Seeker."

The female agent continued, "As the detectives can not know about the Story Seeker and all of the details of the case, we are about to intervene and take over the case. However, we feel that we may need your aid in negotiating with him. We believe that he has some abilities that would be very useful to us, and so we want to see if this can be resolved without a need for conflict."

The male agent asked, "Will you help us?"

The daroga pondered that Erik might kill many people if investigators simply tried to arrest him. He nodded and the woman activated the Story Seeker.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Please leave a review! 


	82. Reunions

Erik and Jennifer woke up in their master bedroom. They both were in tears.

Jennifer cried, burying her face in his shoulder, "You were dead! You were dead!"

Erik held her closer to him and stroked her hair. "I know, my darling. It's all right now. You're safe, and I'm alive."

Jennifer cried for a little bit longer, and then calmed down. She whispered, "I love you, Erik."

Erik kissed her on the top of her head and said, "I love you, too, my dear."

After a few minutes, they both fell asleep.

* * *

Earlier that day, HK-47 was riding the boat back to the island, after evading the ship that the investigator sent after him. He arrived at the island about three hours after the class went into Lost, around half an hour after Jennifer and Erik were back. 

HK-47 walked through the area where some of the workers were building the framework for the house, and others were building the desalinization machine. He walked past them to Erik and Jennifer's room and knocked on the door.

Erik woke up when he heard the knock and opened the door. Seeing HK-47, he asked, "Were you successful?"

"Yes, master. They have been warned."

"Good. Please supervise the workers now."

"Yes, master."

HK-47 left, and Erik turned to see that Jennifer was stirring. He went to her side and said, "My dear, do you feel that you need some more rest, or would you rather begin our lessons?"

"I'd love to start our lessons now."

Erik nodded, and they began studying languages from the books on the bookshelf.

* * *

After the blinding white light was gone, Nadir Khan found that he was in a rather small gray room lying on a small bed. He felt a slight movement, and, seeing a porthole, realized that he was in a cabin on a boat. 

He walked over to the small mirror hanging on one wall of the cabin and saw that he was now wearing some sort of suit.

He went to the door and was about to open it when the male agent he had met before entered. The man offered his hand and said, "Welcome to 2005. You can call me Zachary."

The daroga shook his hand and said, "I am Nadir Khan."

"Yes. Would you come with me?"

Nadir nodded and followed the man out of the room and onto the deck of the ship. They walked to the front of the ship, where the woman was waiting for them. She likewise offered her hand and introduced herself as Agent May.

Nadir shook her hand, and she said, "Welcome aboard. We are on our way to meet the investigators who currently are searching for Jennifer and Erik. We should arrive in about fifteen minutes. Would you like a tour of the ship in the meantime?"

"Yes, I would."

Zachary showed him around the ship for a while, and then they arrived at the point where they were supposed to meet the investigators.

* * *

I know it's been more than two weeks since I last updated this, but I had some trouble figuring out what exactly to do. So, I hoped you enjoyed this, even though it's short, and that you will leave a review. Thanks! 


	83. A Little Progress

Earlier, the older investigator was checking on his associate in the hospital. He had ordered for several boats to pursue the robot that had shot his colleague, but there was no luck. It had evaded them and eventually outran them.

His associate was in critical condition and was still unconscious. The older investigator sat in his hospital room.

After half of an hour, he received a call from his superiors telling him that he was to go to the assigned location. He went to his boat and told the pilot the destination. They headed off in that direction and, after a while, they arrived at the rendezvous point.

The boats came together and he got on the other one. As he entered the deck, he was greeted by an agent, who said, "Hello, Frank."

He returned the greeting, "Good day, Zachary."

Zachary led him to the part of the ship where the rest of the people on board were waiting. Everybody on the ship was silent. The investigator saw a dark-skinned man he didn't recognize looking slightly out of place and the familiar face of a woman with reddish-brown hair and angry green eyes framed by glasses.

He said awkwardly, "Hello, Penny…"

Agent May responded formally, "Detective Winter, I must inform you that I am taking over this case. You do not know and cannot be told everything involved with this case, and so you are no longer in charge of the plane. Your orders are to return to the hospital and wait for your associate while he recovers, and then for both of you to return home."

Agent May dismissed him, and Zachary and a guard escorted him back to his boat.

* * *

The entire class arrived back in the portable when the inferno of white light faded. When Dr. Evans saw Brad, Kelly, Matt, Dania, and Kevin, she asked, "Where were you, and why didn't the Story Seeker send us back to our respective houses?"

Kelly said, "We were on the island, and we couldn't find you anywhere."

Dania said, "We must have been on opposite sides of the island, and I remember now that the Story Seeker shrieked that it was malfunctioning before the white light came."

Brad and Drew went to the Story Seeker and began examining it, while the rest of the students and Dr. Evans went home.

* * *

Erik and Jennifer finished their language lessons and math lessons for the day and went back into the airplane to eat lunch. They each ate a bowl of minestrone soup and a bread roll. Erik drank his Russian tea, and Jennifer drank a glass of milk. After they had eaten, they had their science lesson for about an hour and their music lesson for two hours after that.

After their lessons, Jennifer waited in their room reading while Erik went to give HK-47 new instructions. It was time to pick up Jennifer's dresses and some other things that Erik had ordered. HK-47 left on the boat to pick up the items, and Erik went back to their room. They sang together for a long while.

* * *

Please review! 


	84. A Gift

I'm sorry that it's been so long since I updated, and that this is so short. Please enjoy and review!

* * *

When HK-47 returned to the island, he saw that some of the workers had completed the desalinization machine, while others were working on building the master bathroom and the rest were building the structure and foundation for the rest of the house.

HK-47 walked to the master bedroom and, as he approached, he heard Erik and Jennifer singing. He knocked on the door and they became silent. After a few moments, Erik opened the door.

HK-47 said, "Announcement: I have retrieved the requested items, master."

Erik nodded and took the packages, thanking HK-47. He then told him to patrol the island and turned back into the room. He placed the packages on the bed, taking out the contents of one package and telling Jennifer that she could begin unpacking her clothing into the dresser against the wall.

She agreed and began unloading the contents of the first package. She found several pairs of black pants and black and red t-shirts and placed the shirts in the top drawer of the dresser and the pants in the second from the top.

She opened the second package and found several elegant and modest dresses. They were mostly red and black, although a few other colors were included as well.

She put all of her new clothing in the dresser and approached Erik. He kissed her on the forehead, smiled, and said, "My dear, I got you something in addition to the clothing, a gift. Would you like to open it now?"

Jennifer smiled back at him. She nodded.

He handed her a package that was gift-wrapped. She opened it at a moderate pace and was pleased when she found that it was a laptop computer.

She hugged Erik and thanked him, and then asked, "Do you have this connected to the Internet?"

Erik said, "Not yet, but it will be by the end of the week. Here, I have another gift for you, as well." He handed her a smaller box, also wrapped.

She opened it and found that it was a computer game, and one that she had played often at home until her computer became too slow to run the game: The Sims 2 and its expansion pack, the Sims 2 University. She smiled and thanked him for this, too, and then asked, "Why did you buy me this, anyway?"

"I like buying gifts for my wife every so often. Besides, there will be times when I will need to help and lead the construction workers. I want you to have something fun to do in your free time, and I know that this is one way that you spent your time before you married me. Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to know, Erik. This isn't a holiday or anything."

"I know, my dear. Come here, come closer."

Jennifer complied and sat down next to him on the bed. He lifted her into his lap, and she looked up at him as he said, stroking her hair, "My dear, I don't need a special occasion to give you, presents. I want to pamper you. I want to buy you gifts, even if it isn't a holiday. Is that all right?"

"Yes, Erik. I just wanted to know why."

Erik kissed her on the forehead and then said, "I know, my dear."

"I love you, Erik."

"And I love you, my dear. What would you like to do now?"

Jennifer smiled. "Let's take a walk on the beach."

They left their room and began to walk along the shore.


	85. Ruler of All

It's been so long since I updated! I have had writer's block for a while now, and I'm sorry that it took so long. On the brightside, I know have a better idea of where this is going.

Thank you, and please review.

* * *

Brad had just managed to find out a potential source of the malfunction in the Story Seeker. He called Drew and told him about what he had found. Suddenly, the Story Seeker began to beep. It screeched, "Malfunction! Story Seeker will now send the class back to its origin. Erik will be considered the selector of this story for the purposes of the rules, and so will Brad and Drew."

Their eyes closed and they were surrounded by the brilliant white light.

* * *

When Erik and Jennifer opened their eyes from the brilliant white light, they were in some sort of hall, and they were each sitting on a throne and wearing elegant, majestic clothing befitting of royalty. Jennifer's outfit was entirely white, while Erik's was black, and his mask was golden.

Suddenly a child with blond hair, who could not have been older than ten, came into the room, bowed to both of them, and announced to Erik, "Brave ruler of all, the committee in the meeting room has been assembled and awaits your presence to begin."

Erik nodded and dismissed him. He then turned to Jennifer and said, "My dear, have you accessed your memories from this place?"

Jennifer nodded. "Apparently the meanings of our names are supposed to indicate what we are like here."

"Yes, my dear, they do." He rose from his throne and offered her his hand. "Shall we go now, my love?"

Jennifer took his hand and nodded. They walked together to the meeting hall.

As they entered the spacious room, they accessed their memories about what the meeting was supposed to be about.

Then they looked around at the people in the hall. Matt and Kevin were sitting across from each other on opposite sides of a long table; so were Chris H and Chris D. There were also many men whom Erik and Jennifer did not recognize, but Jennifer was the only female in the room.

Erik pulled out the chair to the right of his seat for Jennifer, who sat in it, and then sat on the seat at the head of the table.

The meeting began, and they talked about plans for a new building, among other things. After a while, Jennifer accessed a memory that told her that she was to present a plan.

When Erik said that it was her turn to talk, she walked up to the podium and began to speak. The memories she accessed gave her the knowledge of all that she needed to say, and she began to understand it and presented it well, despite her nervousness. Erik was proud of her and nodded his approval as she took her seat.

Some of the men protested what she said on the grounds that she was a female, and a very young one at that, and she can't possibly know what she was talking about. Erik rose from his seat, gracefully went to the podium, and answered their complaints angrily.

"Yes, she is a young woman, but do not forget that she is the empress, or that she is the wife of your emperor Erik. She has shown her intelligence today, and your emperor Erik will not tolerate any doubt of her abilities, nor will he excuse any insults directed at her."

Someone at the table spoke out. "The texts say that women do not know much and should not be trusted."

Erik glared at the speaker through his golden eyes. "Any further attempts at doubting her or insulting her will be considered as directed at the emperor Erik himself."

Chris D., realizing that in this world he was a priest or religious official of some sort, decided that the safest and the best way to get the revenge which he still desired on Matt would be to side with Erik, especially since Erik now seemed to be very much in charge of things. He announced to the people, "You should also remember that to doubt or to insult the emperor is blasphemy."

Erik smirked behind his mask, relishing the changes in the countenances of those present from snobbish to fearful, and said with his eerie calm, "I think that nothing more needs to be said on this matter, gentlemen. Shall we continue the discussion of the building plans?"


	86. The Coffin

By the time the meeting was over, it was daybreak. In Erik's empire, of course, most official business was taken care of at night, so Erik and Jennifer decided to rest. Erik remembered the way to the room more vividly than Jennifer, so he led the way, holding her hand.

They journeyed through the corridors of the palace until they reached the well-guarded hallway with an elegant and large mahogany door at the end. On either side of the door was a smaller door, each one made from oak and painted golden. Erik opened the golden door on the right for Jennifer and told her that she could freshen up if she wished before meeting him in their room. Jennifer nodded and, smiling with contentment, walked into the room.

Like the rest of the palace, the bathroom was quite majestic. There was a walk-in closet on one side, and Jennifer decided to pick out what she would wear after the bath first. She found a modest pair of silken pajamas that were white and light blue, and a white robe to match it.

After her bath, which was very relaxing, she changed into the pajamas and robe. Then she walked into the bedroom and was shocked. The walls of the room were made of a type of wood that Jennifer didn't recognize and had a reddish hue, and the carpet was of a similar but slightly darker color. There was no bed, but there was a large open coffin in the center of the room.

She timidly entered the room, very startled. She collapsed onto the ground and a few tears began to fall from her eyes. Erik approached her, wearing a pair of silken black pajamas somewhat similar to hers, and sat down beside her.

"What's wrong, my dear? Are you afraid to sleep in a coffin next to me?"

Jennifer was crying too hard to answer him. Erik started to become annoyed and said, "You have slept next to me before. Granted the coffin is a little bit smaller than a bed and may require you to be a little bit closer, but are you really that frightened of me?"

Still in tears, Jennifer cried, "I…I'm not frightened of _you_, Erik!" Erik gathered his wife into his arms and had her cry on his shoulder while he gently stroked the back of her head.

After several minutes, Jennifer began to calm down. Erik said softly, "Jennifer, I'm sorry if I spoke harshly before. I know you're not really frightened of me; you've assured me of that before. But dear girl, what _are_ you afraid of?"

A few moments passed before Jennifer answered. She looked up at his face, noticing the golden mask, and said, "Erik…when I saw the coffin, it made me remember the time I saw you die in _Lost_. I'm so frightened. I don't want you to die!"

Erik said soothingly, "It's all right, dear. I'm sorry. I…I certainly am not planning on dying any time soon. As for this current fear, I think it would be helpful if we tried to make positive associations with the coffin, so that when you see a coffin again, it won't frighten you so. Are you willing to try to rest in it?"

Jennifer nodded timidly and said, "All right, Erik. I'll try not to be afraid and not to worry."

Erik kissed Jennifer on the top of her head and continued stroking her hair gently as he carried her towards the coffin. He said, "My dear, it's going to be fine. You'll soon see that it's just like any other bed, really. Just imagine that…it's just a bed with walls…so that you won't fall down and get hurt if you roll in your sleep."

Erik carefully placed his wife inside the coffin and then lay down in it himself. He saw that Jennifer was shaking slightly, and placed his cloak over her body as a blanket in case the shaking was not entirely the result of fear.

He offered her his hand and she held on to it. Placing his other arm around her waist, he said, "Dear, calm down. Is this so frightening?"

"Not…not really, Erik. I'm still scared, but you've been really patient with me and it helps. I know that you won't let anything bad happen. I feel safe. I love you, Erik."

Erik remembered that he still was wearing his mask. He looked at Jennifer awkwardly and muttered, "I…I would like to kiss you…" Jennifer nodded and he took off the mask and then kissed her on the lips gently. Then he said, "I love you, Jennifer. Would you like me to sing you to sleep?"

Jennifer nodded and Erik saw her smile slightly, which made him feel content. He sang to her softly and held her as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Happy new year! Please leave a review to let me know what you think. 


	87. Nightmares and Nefarious Plots

Around midday, Erik awoke to see that Jennifer was in the midst of another horrible nightmare. She was shaking and thrashing violently and shrieking intermittently. Erik woke her and calmed her down, holding her around the waist and gently caressing her hair. She began to calm down and he felt her relax. Her countenance changed from troubled to tranquil. He held her and stroked her back gently, and let her sleep for another half-hour at peace. Erik enjoyed watching her sleep so peacefully, as she was now, especially after seeing her so disturbed earlier.

When she woke up, she looked a bit disoriented before she realized that she had fallen asleep in the coffin. Seeing Erik's grin, she smiled back, and he said, "Good morning, my dear. How do you feel?"

"I feel fine, Erik. I remember that I had a nightmare, though, but then it got better and it wasn't scary anymore."

"That's good. What was the nightmare about?"

"I can't remember all the details, but I think it was about…what happened when we were in _Star Wars_."

"About Matt and Kevin, you mean?"

Jennifer nodded weakly, and Erik could see tears forming in her eyes. He directed her to cry onto his chest while he rubbed her back softly and soothed her with his voice. "Jennifer, my dear girl, you're safe now. I'm protecting you. I won't let them or anyone else hurt you again. Everything will be fine."

She cried for a little while, and after she had calmed down she said softly, "I love you, Erik. Thank you for taking care of me."

"Of course, my dear. I love you, too. Now, if you are feeling better now, what would you like to do? I could call for some food if you are hungry, and we could each go freshen up while it's being prepared."

Jennifer nodded and said, "I would like that, Erik." After replacing his golden mask on his face, Erik went to the door to instruct one of the guards to order the food, when he realized that two of the four were Jennifer's classmates. He remembered their names as Greg and Kelly.

He told one of the other guards what food to get, and told Kelly to come into the room. He recalled that she and Jennifer were friends, and thought it might make her feel better if she had one of her friends to talk with.

He then went into his bathroom to change into a nice new outfit.

Meanwhile, Jennifer was brushing her teeth when she heard a knock on her bathroom door. She timidly asked, "Who is it?"

"It's Kelly."

"Kelly!" Jennifer exclaimed gleefully as she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"In this story I'm apparently some sort of guard. I'm not really sure why."

"Ah, it probably has to do with your name. Wait, let me think…right. In this story, our role is based on the meaning of our name, and your name means 'brave warrior', if I recall correctly."

"Is that why your husband is in charge of this place?"

"Yes, that's why."

"I'm happy to see you again. I was so worried in _Lost_ when I saw what happened to your husband and how you reacted to it. So how have you been?"

"Fine. Erik takes good care of me. I've learned so much from him. How is the class, and how is AP Human Geography going?"

"Both are good. Do you know if you're going to be able to take the AP test in May?"

"I hope so. I'm going to keep learning about it. Hopefully Erik will find a way for me to take it."

"I hope that works out."

"Yes. I had better change my clothes now, though."

"Right." Kelly went back to guarding the door of Jennifer's bathroom, while Jennifer went into the walk-in closet and chose her outfit, dressing in there.

When she came out, she was wearing a white outfit similar to the one that she had been wearing when she first was in the story. She called Kelly and said, "Would you like to eat with us?"

"Sure! That would be great!"

They walked through the door and into the main room. Erik had changed into another pair of the royal black robes, similar to ones he had had on before, but with the edges lined with a soft golden fabric. He was sitting on a chair behind a table on the other side of the room. Jennifer realized that she hadn't noticed much of the furniture in the room before, since she was so overwhelmed by seeing the coffin. Understandably, Kelly looked a bit perturbed when she saw the coffin in the center of the room.

They walked over towards the table where Erik was sitting, and Erik rose as they approached, his golden eyes focusing on Jennifer through the holes in his golden mask. He directed Jennifer to sit in the seat next to him and pulled out the chair for her. She sat in it, and Erik told Kelly to sit in the chair across from them before sitting down himself.

The plates of food were already there, and they were arranged quite elegantly. They began to eat the meal of eggs and bacon and Jennifer and Kelly washed theirs down with milk, while Erik, having removed his mask after asking Kelly if she would be comfortable enough around his face to eat, drank his Russian tea, which he had made himself in the samovar in one corner of the room.

When they had finished eating the meal, Kelly returned to her guard duty, saying goodbye to Jennifer. Erik then asked Jennifer if she wanted to read for a while. She nodded, smiling, and they both walked over to a bookshelf not too far from the table and selected a book together. They sat down next to each other in the coffin and read for quite a while.

Putting the book down, they embraced each other and Erik timidly kissed her on the lips. Then Jennifer leaned her head against his chest and they stayed like that for some time, feeling rather peaceful. Eventually, as it drew closer to nighttime, Erik had to leave for various meetings. He kissed her on the cheek softly, replaced his golden mask, and called for Kelly to keep Jennifer company while he was away.

Jennifer and Kelly talked about everything that had happened to them recently, and Kelly comforted Jennifer with kind words when she looked sad to remember.

* * *

Matt and the sultana had been plotting for a long while when the sultana came up with an idea that they both thought just might work. The sultana went to a cupboard in the kitchen of the cozy house and retrieved a few vials. One contained a liquid with a sickly green hue, another had a bright orange powder, and the last was identical to the first in all aspects save that its contents were literally glowing.

The sultana explained her plan. "Erik will leave his room by nightfall. You and your brother already have access to the palace. If you flick the orange powder into the guards' eyes, they will be rendered unable to stop you from entering the room. Then you must pour a drop of the first vial onto each guard. This will make them forget that they ever saw you. You have a sword with you, don't you?"

"No, ma'am."

"There is a scimitar here. Take it with you as well, but hide it and do not use it on the guards, at least not any guards outside the room. If there are guards inside the room as well, use the sword then if necessary. Erik's precious little wife, of course, will also be inside the room. After you have eliminated any threat from the guards, make her drink the contents of the glowing vial. Then make your escape promptly. Now, go."

Matt turned to leave, but the sultana stopped him by grabbing his arm and daringly kissed him on the lips with a great passion that he quickly returned. When the kiss finally broke, she grinned slyly and he departed from the building.

* * *

I know it's been a while, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review.


	88. A Nefarious Plot in Action

Sorry it took me so long to update, and that this is really short. I just felt like I had to write something and update. Anyway, April and May were really busy, with field trips, AP exam preparation, the actual AP exams (I took 5) and then the final exams for the classes themselves. Anyway, I'm sorry again, but now that it's summer I'll try to post on a somewhat regular basis. Although, I am participating in ScriptFrenzy, so it will depend on how much time I have. Anyway, please enjoy and leave a review.

* * *

After Erik left the first meeting, he felt a slight feeling that something bad was going to happen. He became concerned about Jennifer and rushed back to their room.

When he arrived back at the room, he was shocked to find that his fear was well-founded. The guards outside the room all appeared to be unconscious, and the large door was slightly ajar. Erik rushed in, pulling a small sword out from his cloak, and saw Kelly fighting Kevin and Matt attacking Jennifer and forcing something down her throat.

Erik dashed towards Jennifer, knocking Matt away from her, but he was too late to stop the liquid from going down her throat. She collapsed onto him, feeling faint. Erik held her against his chest with one arm, throwing the knife he was holding in that hand at Matt, whom he had pushed to the ground.

The blade pierced Matt's shirt above his shoulder and pinned it to the floor. While Matt was trying to remove it, Erik retrieved his Punjab Lasso quickly and placed it around Matt's neck. Erik removed the blade from the floor and the rope seemed to levitate, as if by magic, in such a way that any struggle Matt made would be futile. Matt screamed, "Kevin! Flee! We've done what we came to do!"

Kevin, who had still been fighting Kelly, pushed his sword against hers with enough force to push her to the ground and ran as quickly as he could out of the room and out of the castle. Erik helped Kelly to her feet and told her to go alert the guards in another parts of the castle, and to lead some in pursuit of Kevin and send some to apprehend Matt.

Kelly did so, and then Erik turned his attention to his barely conscious wife. "My dear, just relax. I'll find out what he has done to you and how to fix it, don't worry."

Jennifer nodded weakly and fell limp as he placed her gently on a sofa away from the coffin.

As the guards arrived, Erik ordered some of them to stay outside the door and protect Jennifer, while he ordered some of them to help him bring Matt down to the dungeons.


	89. Encounters and Comforts

Erik went down to the dungeons accompanied by some guards. The guards went ahead and chained Matt down to a rather uncomfortable-looking chair. Erik seethed with anger and tried to plan how he would get the information from Matt. An idea came to him, and he sent a guard to get the supplies his idea would require.

In the meantime, he addressed Matt. "So you couldn't be satisfied that you and your twin are alive, could you? You had to come and try to hurt the innocent girl who has held me back from killing you several times. You know that, don't you? That she has changed me for the better? That many times she has been the only one stopping me from killing you yet again? The little angel that she is, she wouldn't want me to hurt you even after you have harmed her yet again… but if you do not tell me what you have done very soon I will have little choice but to do so, and I assure you that I will enjoy it very much. But if you reveal what you have done to my little wife and how it can be reversed, I might choose to spare you from a significant amount of suffering. It's your choice, though, of course…"

At that point, the guard returned carrying two boxes. He was accompanied by another guard, who reported that Jennifer had become vaguely conscious but appeared to be hallucinating.

Matt said, "What I have given her is not fatal, but its effects will not fade any time soon, and there is no antidote for it in your kingdom."

Erik was getting even angrier. He said, "Answer my question. Why would you do that to someone so pure?"

Matt said, "She betrayed us all when she married you, and by hurting her, I can hurt you."

Erik yelled, "She _betrayed_ you? She saved your classmates… I… if she had refused me…I would have killed them all and… and they would have had no way to return to your world! Your brother wouldn't have been revived! She has saved your lives and your friends' lives so many times, even saw you as her friend, yet you think she has _betrayed_ you!"

Matt smirked, pleased that he was causing turmoil in Erik's mind, even though he knew it would come at a cost. He replied, "So you did force her into marrying you. How can you prove that you didn't also force her into consummating it?"

Erik clenched his fist and took a moment to compose himself. He replied coldly, "I am not so much a monster that I would do that, but I am certainly enough of a monster to order that you be given no respite from torture tonight. Guards, please take over from here. I expect a report in the morning..."

* * *

Kelly and the other guards with her were searching for Kevin's trail, but it had appeared to be lost. She had pursued him through the woodlands for several miles, but when they had followed him to a bog his trail was lost. They kept searching the area for any sign of him.

* * *

Erik returned to their room and entered to find that Jennifer was again sleeping, but her features were etched with fear, and she looked dreadfully uncomfortable. Erik approached her, sitting down on the edge of the sofa. He took her limp form into his arms and stroked her hair gently, hoping that it would comfort her.

Her eyes fluttered open, and Erik thought he saw a glint of red before he saw her usually brown eyes brimming with tears. Jennifer said weakly, "Erik…"

Erik used his voice to try to soothe her. "Jennifer, my love…I'm here for you. It's going to be all right, okay?"

Jennifer nodded, but she said quietly, "I just had a nightmare… it was completely different, and it scared me so much."

Erik, concerned, asked, "Would you like to talk about it?"

She nodded, but her face was flushed. She lifted herself up to whisper about it directly into Erik's ear, as if afraid to speak of it out loud.

Erik listened to her, and then looked at her distressed features. He let his fingers gently caress the left side of her head. She looked into his golden eyes and asked softly, "That wasn't… that wasn't what you were talking about with…with that…that consummating thing, was it?"

Erik sighed, "No, my dear. That's something completely different. Your dream… it was like what Matt and Kevin accused me of doing to you… and I believe that whatever he gave you has caused you to have such a nightmare."

Jennifer asked, "Why is it different? Is what you want someday so scary too?"

"Dear, it is completely different. For one thing, when we…it'll be because you'll be ready for it and you might want it as well. You know I'll never hurt you… there's no need to worry about anything like that now. What happened in your nightmare… you know it won't ever happen. You're safe with me, Jennifer."

He kissed her on the forehead, and she buried her face in his chest. He said, "I will find a way to protect you from these nightmares. I… fear that any type of sleep aid I might give you could react with whatever poison is in you and cause you even more pain. Do you feel any sort of physical pain anywhere?"

"Yes. My head hurts especially."

"All right. You should get some rest. Do you think it would help if I held you and sang you to sleep?"

"I think it would, Erik. I love you." Erik could feel a wetness on his shirt from her tears.

"I love you, my dear. Now try to relax, all right? I won't let anyone hurt you…" He sang a gentle lullaby and soon she was asleep.

* * *


	90. Gone!

Jennifer woke up just as the sun was rising to find that Erik was still holding her. He said, "Good morning, my love. How did you sleep?"

"There were a few nightmares, and my head still feels so strange, but the nightmares weren't as bad and I feel a little bit better."

"That's good to hear, my dear. What would you like to do now? I still have a few more hours to spend with you before I need to go find out if we're any closer to finding out what they have done to you- but I think I will even be able to have the guards come here and report to me here so that I won't be too far away from you"

"Thank you, Erik. I think I'd like to read some more- oh, I feel so addled!" Jennifer frowned. She leaned so that her head was resting on Erik's chest.

Erik gently stroked her hair and kissed her on the forehead. "My dear girl, don't worry. Erik will fix it. Erik will take care of you. You needn't worry about anything."

Jennifer took a deep breath. She seemed to relax a bit and let Erik hold her for a while. When she started to shift a bit, Erik realized that she had wanted to read and carefully let go of her, replacing her on the sofa. He retrieved the book they had been reading before and returned to the sofa. Jennifer sat up and he sat next to her.

Erik gently wrapped one arm around her shoulder and they started reading. A long while passed uneventfully until Jennifer suddenly shivered.

Erik noticed her shiver and put the book down, asking, "What is wrong, my dear?"

Jennifer muttered, trying to speak, "Er…ik…" Erik noticed that her eyes had suddenly turned deep red. Very concerned, Erik lifted her into his arms and said, "Jennifer, what's wrong?"

He noticed that right when he spoke her eyes fluctuated between their natural brown and the unnatural red. Wondering if this might be a key to helping her, he started to sing. As he suspected would happen, her eyes cleared up, returning to their normal state. She shivered but seemed to have returned to normal, whispering, "Erik?"

He kissed her on the forehead and said, "Don't worry, my dear. I will find out what they've done to you very soon… and then I will find a way to make it all better."

Jennifer nodded. "I'm scared, Erik…"

He nodded in return. "Yes, understandably so. But don't forget that I'm here to protect you."

"I won't." She tried to smile, but it was a struggle. She felt so miserable and so out of it.

Erik sighed, "Would you like for us to sing now?" He could see her face brighten at this suggestion as she nodded almost immediately. This time she was able to smile without so much of a struggle.

They sang together, and he could see her relief through the pain that was still obvious in her eyes. This was a way to help her feel better. He filled with anger at the thought that one of the people who had caused her this pain still hadn't been captured, as far as he knew.

After a while, a knock at the door interrupted them. Erik went to answer it, making sure that his mask was firmly in place beforehand. It was one of the guards whom Erik had told to report to him the previous night, as well as a tired messenger apparently sent by Kelly.

Erik commanded the guard to speak.

The first guard said uneasily, "Sir, we tortured Matt as you commanded but he did not give us any additional information about what he has done."

Erik's mood darkened, as did his tone. "Very well. I will deal with him myself a bit later." Turning to the messenger, he asked, "What news do you bring?"

"Nothing you will like, Emperor. Kevin has evaded Kelly and her troops so far. They continue to search for him but there are no traces of him."

Erik nodded. "All right. Tell her to keep searching, then. Send some more troops to help."

The messenger bowed and left.

Erik turned back into the room, and was met with shock, anger, and worry.

He searched through the main room and the bathroom, in a state of panic.

Jennifer was gone!

* * *

I have an idea of what's going to happen in the next chapter, so I'll try to finish and post it quicker this time. 


	91. The Reflection

Matt was trying to rest his eyes, knowing that this moment may be the only respite from pain that he would have in a long while. He wished he could sleep, but he did not regret what he had done. He hoped that Jennifer would be able to see what a monster her husband was…

Speaking of Jennifer, Matt suddenly saw a silhouette not unlike hers falling into the room. Puzzled, he realized that it was her… in body, at least. When he saw that her eyes were glowing red in the darkness, he realized that although she looked like the Jennifer he once knew, this wasn't her. This was what the sultana's potion has transformed her into.

The figure spoke, "Hello, Matt. Since the guards outside your door were only temporarily distracted, I think you will understand that I don't have much time." The voice was Jennifer's, and yet it wasn't. It had the same cold tone that Matt had heard in Erik's voice when he was at his most insane, and it made Matt shiver involuntarily.

"How… how would the sultana's potion have made you like this?"

Matt saw that the figure smirked at his question. "Don't be silly. It didn't make me like this. I am a spirit that, in this reality, has always been within her, unbeknownst to the innocent child's mind that usually inhabits her. The potion has weakened her, allowing me to take control whenever she is at her weakest. Perhaps that was the sultana's intent, and perhaps she knew about me. I do not know, and I do not care. My most pressing concern at the moment… is to shut you up."

Matt tried to scream as he saw the possessed figure of his once-friend draw a small knife from one of the boxes of torture devices and bring it towards his mouth…

* * *

Not finding Jennifer anywhere in their room or the surrounding rooms, Erik ran through the palace in a fury, checking each room. When he came to the place where Matt was being held, he found that the guards were disoriented. He entered the room and saw Matt barely conscious, with his tongue missing. Furious, he questioned the guards as to what had happened and why they were disoriented, but they had nothing to tell him.

He ordered one of the guards to get a doctor to attend to Matt's wounded mouth. Just as he said that, another guard approached and announced, "Sir, she has been found."

Erik boomed. "Where is she?"

"She is back in your room, my lord."

Erik stormed away, hastily thanking the guard, and went back towards their room.

* * *

Jennifer was in her bathroom, with no memory of where she had been. Finding that one of her hands was clenched around something, she cautiously opened the hand and, looking down, saw that it was a human tongue, and that her hands was covered in blood!

She shrieked, and tried to wash her hands. However, just as soon as she had washed the blood off of her hands she threw up, unable to get the idea that she had been holding a tongue and had blood on her hands out of her mind.

"What's going on?" she thought. Suddenly, Greg came in, saw her, and yelled to another guard, "I've found her, go tell Erik!"

Jennifer muttered, "Greg?! What happened?"

"I wish I knew…but you disappeared and Erik's been in a fury since he saw that you were gone."

Erik entered the room just then, saying coldly, "Yes, I have been… leave us, Greg."

After Greg left the room, Erik said, "What possessed you to wander off like that? Where were you?"

Jennifer replied weakly, "Erik, I have no idea what happened. I was sitting in the room waiting while you talked to the guards and then… the next thing I knew I was in this bathroom, covered in blood and with someone's tongue in my hand!"

Erik muttered, "Matt's tongue…my dear, I'm sorry…" He embraced her. "I spoke harshly to you, and whatever happened was clearly not something that you had any control over or that you can even remember. But now that Matt cannot speak, I will have to find some other way to figure out what has happened to you…"

Erik noticed that Jennifer's eyes seemed distant. "Erik…I didn't like having blood on my hands. It scared me very much."

He held her close, saying "Jennifer… it's going to be all right. But I might need your help to figure out what's going on. I will give you some time to bathe before we discuss this. I will make sure that there are guards outside the doors, and I will be right in the next room, so that you may call for me should anything happen."

"All right, Erik. Thank you."

Erik kissed her on the top of her head. "I love you, my dear."

"I love you, too, Erik."

Erik nodded and left the room, leaving Jennifer to her bath and her thoughts.

She took her bath and tried to relax, but she couldn't get the shock of having someone's tongue and blood in her hand, seemingly out of nowhere. Erik must have been so worried to see that! She started to fear that Erik might be angry with her.

She got dressed and looked in the mirror. She at least felt relieved that the blood had washed off. But as she looked in the mirror, she was shocked. There was still blood on her reflection's hands, and her reflection's eyes were blood-red. What was wrong with her?

She thought she was going to faint when her reflection started laughing hysterically, and when it started talking to her, her eyes were wide.

The reflection's voice said mockingly, "Look at you, so frightened and so weak. You have no idea what's going on, do you?"

Jennifer shook her head. Her reflection smirked back at her.

"Well, I shall have to remedy that, won't I? You see, when that boy made you drink that potion, it weakened you to the point where I could begin to take over. I've always been a presence inside of you in this reality; I can't vouch for how you are in other realities, of course. But, you see, I am taking over. Your mind is too innocent to really put up much of a resistance against me. So you don't stand a chance. Maybe Erik would be able to help you, but then again, don't you think he's angry with you for disappearing like that? Aren't you frightened of him?"

Feeling dizzy, Jennifer called out, "Erik!", before she collapsed and her world went dark.

* * *

A quick update, yay! I'll try to get the next chapter done sometime next week, most likely. 


	92. A Confrontation and a Plan

Erik heard his wife's scream faintly and ran into the bathroom to find out what had happened. He found her collapsed in front of the mirror. He collected her into his arms and tried to rouse her.

Slowly, her eyes opened. She muttered, "Erik…it's taking over. I don't know how much more I can fight…"

Concerned, Erik asked, "What's taking over, my dear?"

"Not sure… some sort of spirit… I think it's evil, Erik. It's starting to control me, and I don't know how to stop it."

"Thank you for telling me this, my dear. Does this explain what happened earlier?"

"Yes, I think so. But Erik, I'm so afraid. You aren't angry with me, are you?"

He helped her stand up and continued to embrace her as they both looked into the mirror. "No, of course I'm not angry with you, and you will be fine, my love. Don't worry, Erik is here for you."

Suddenly, Jennifer's eyes turned red again, and to Erik's surprise she started to laugh. But it wasn't Jennifer's laugh…

Erik could tell that this must be the "spirit" Jennifer had been talking about. He growled, "Who are you and why are you doing this to my wife?"

"In this reality, I have always been a presence within her. I've just been waiting for the opportunity to come out, and that poison has given me the perfect opportunity to take control."

"I will find a way to stop you."

"Hmm, I'm sure that you will try, and maybe you will be successful. However, I somehow doubt that you will be able to help her in time. If her body were in any serious danger from the poison, I would be looking for a way to save it. I can't have any harm come to my host, that wouldn't do at all. But her mind, her spirit…I'm taking over, and she has no means of resisting me. She's far too innocent to be able to fight me. So even if you do manage to stop me in the end, that innocent little mind you so cherish will never be quite the same."

Erik was furious. "Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything to hurt you!"

"No, of course she hasn't. She's your little angel who never does anything to hurt anyone… we'll see how long that lasts when I twist her little mind against you. You already saw how I started that last night, with her nightmare."

"Why would you do this to her?"

"You ought to understand my motivation. It's one that drove you for so very long, and it still drives you to this day. Power. I will enjoy taking over this little girl's mind, and you will hate it because you will lose the power that you have over it. By the time you manage to save her, if you even manage to do that, she will be so frightened, both of you and of any sort of intimacy in general, that… well, what use will she be to you then? And it's not like I can put a fear into her mind that doesn't already have a strong root somewhere… oh, she's not frightened of you, exactly, not yet… but the subject matter of her nightmare... that was something that already terrified her, a fear that I found deep within her subconscious mind. I merely brought it to her attention, heightened it, made her aware of the danger she was in…"

"She's in danger now, but it's certainly not from me! And "what use will she be" to me? See, I'm not "using" her. I love her, and she is mine. You will forever rue your decision to cross Erik."

"So be it, then. Our battle has begun."

With that, the redness disappeared from the eyes and Jennifer's natural brown reappeared, and then disappeared from Erik's sight as the eyes closed.

Erik took her into his arms and stroked her hair. He whispered gently, "Dear wife, please wake up. Open her eyes."

Her eyes instantly opened at his command and she whimpered. "Erik, what just happened?"

"I had a talk with the spirit you were telling me about."

Jennifer shivered. Erik held her closer to him and continued. "It's not going to let go of you without a fight. It will likely be very difficult for both of us, especially for you. But I have an idea… something this spirit said gave me an idea, and I am hoping that it might work."

"What is the idea?"

"My worry at the moment is that if I tell you too much information about my plan, it will be able to take the information from you. I don't want you to be in any more danger. But I just want you to know that I have a plan, and that it will require your help."

"What do I need to do, and how will I be able to help you without knowing what your plan is?"

"All you need to do is trust me. Can you do that, no matter what nightmares this spirit gives you, even when they are horrifying and involve me? Can you remember that your Erik loves you and will never hurt you, and try to keep your strength by remembering that, and can you above all trust your Erik no matter what?"

"Yes, Erik."

He kissed her on the forehead. "That's very good, my dear. Now follow Erik."

He helped her stand up and then headed out of the room. Jennifer followed him.


	93. A Search and A Battle

Kelly and the soldiers who followed her had approached the lands owned and governed by Brad in their pursuit of Kevin. He was still nowhere to be seen but the set up a guard around the perimeter and Kelly, along with Vincent and a couple of other soldiers, approached Brad's house in order to ask for his help in finding Kevin.

They walked for a while until they finally got to the rather large house. Kelly knocked on the door and they waited for a moment. Eventually someone opened the door. It was Brad.

He looked to be very well off in this world. His clothes were rich, as were the furnishings in his home. He addressed them, "Hello, Kelly. Hello Vincent. What brings you here?"

Kelly answered, "Jennifer has been poisoned. Matt was captured in connection with it, but Kevin, who was also involved, has managed to evade us so far."

"I heard about her poisoning. Word has spread of it. I've heard that Erik is irate."

"Yes, as would be expected… anyway, we have come here seeking your help in finding Kevin. We believe that he has run into your lands while fleeing. We have already set up watches along the perimeter of your territory but wish to search your land thoroughly for any signs of him."

"Very well. Just make sure that you don't disturb any of the activities of the people working around here."

"All right. We will be sure not to disrupt anything if at all possible. Thank you, Brad. I'm sure Erik would thank you as well."

"It's no problem. In fact, I could even send some of my guards to help in your search, if you wish." Brad smiled, glad that he was in a somewhat powerful role in this world.

Kelly, Vincent, and the soldiers went with some of the guards of Brad's estate and began to search the area.

* * *

Erik and Jennifer were back in the room and sitting on the couch. Erik was embracing her, plotting out what he was going to do. That spirit had said something about the power that he, Erik, had over Jennifer's mind. Erik wondered if this might work, hoping that it would.

He turned her to face him. He could feel that she was trembling and he reassured her one more time that everything would be all right. Her trembling subsided for a moment and she looked into his golden eyes. Erik focused, wondering how this was going to work. He kept looking into her brown eyes, and thought "Trust me…"

Immediately there was a reaction. He felt her body go completely limp and this time, instead of her eyes turning red, they turned… golden.

Erik realized then that his plan had a chance of working. Now he felt like he was in two places at once. He was still there, holding his wife and looking at her eyes. But he was also elsewhere, he felt. He was inside her spirit and her mind.

He could see the poison that was present. Not the literal poison, as that was in her body, but the poison of the spirit that was invading hers. The spirit was right when it said that, alone, Jennifer had no chance to successfully fight it off. Erik could tell that she had been trying, but her efforts had only made the spirit more determined to take control. This infuriated him.

He could hear the spirit filling her thoughts with words against him, repeatedly giving Jennifer fearful images and thoughts. He could feel Jennifer struggling to pull away from the spirit.

The spirit noticed him and turned some of its attention towards him. "Hello, Erik. I was wondering when you'd decide to show up here."

Erik was searching for a way to stop the spirit when he felt that he was being attacked. The spirit was attacking him, in a way. It felt like his mind was being pushed back, like the spirit was trying to push him out of Jennifer's mind.

Erik pushed back and they struggled like that for a while. Erik was conscious of Jennifer's eyes flashing back and forth between red and gold while her body quivered. He felt an urge to comfort her and as she stopped quivering he supposed that wish had reached her spirit somehow.

Erik thought about this and came up with a plan. He thought the same way he did when he wanted to comfort her, but this time asked her for help. Sure enough, her spirit gained a bit of strength and fought along with his against the invading spirit. Together they fought it back, but he could tell that the spirit had only lost a little of its strength, and that Jennifer's was weakening.

Erik realized that he would need to give her time to regroup before he started another battle. He released himself from her and it was like waking up from a dream. Her eyes flashed gold, then red, then back to the normal brown. She blinked a few times and he held her and gently stroked her hair, singing softly to soothe her. He was right when he had said that this would be very difficult…

* * *

Please review! 


	94. Defiance and Information

As Jennifer slept she felt peaceful for a while, but that peace was soon interrupted. The spirit had recouped and was giving her those nightmares again. They were so vivid and seemed so real… but she knew that they could not be. The images disgusted her and terrified her, but she knew that they were not real. She trusted in Erik. She knew that Erik would never do anything like that to her. She knew that he would never hurt her.

She yelled at the spirit, "Stop it! I know that none of that is real!"

The spirit smirked, "You're right, it's not real… _yet_. But it will be someday, you can be sure of that. He may seem willing enough to wait for you now… but that is all part of his plan. You will believe that he is your hero; you'll think he's been so patient and such a great person… then he will make you feel so guilty, you won't even struggle when he takes what he wants, no matter how much it hurts you. And that's just if he can manage to keep up his patience for that long… you've left yourself in a very vulnerable position right now, you know. You've fallen asleep right next to him. There would be nothing to stop him from doing whatever he wants with you right this moment."

"He wouldn't do that!"

"How do you know? Let me guess, he told you so? I think it's so pathetic, the way you let him manipulate you so very easily…"

"You're the one trying to manipulate me, not him!"

"Hmm… I'm glad to see a little bit of resistance in you. Now if only you would aim it at him instead of at me… I'm just showing you what will likely happen in the future with these images. He's going to want to do that- he already does want it. It's just a matter of time."

"That isn't true!"

"You think he doesn't want the thing that you fear above all? But he's even told you that he does! He has been kind to you so far to lure you into feeling comfortable around him… he's sapping the resistance out of you, and you aren't even struggling against that. Like I said, it's so pathetic… once he's taken what he wants he'll leave you all alone…that's all that he wants, you know. I could help you get away from him"

"You aren't telling the truth! We are in love, and I know that you are lying to me. You are the one trying to manipulate me, not Erik, and I don't want any help from you."

The spirit sounded angry then when it answered. "Very well, then."

Jennifer was plunged into a strange, painful sort of darkness. She could barely think. Then the nightmares returned.

* * *

Kelly and the other soldiers had searched the area thoroughly for hours but had not yet found any sign of Kevin. Just as they were about to give up for the night, Kelly noticed something that she believed might be a hint: it was a shard of a sword, and it had blood on it.

She called some of the soldiers over and they searched that area. Eventually Kelly found a slight trail of blood leading into a thicket.

Kevin was in the underbrush, unconscious, bleeding from his chest and holding the shattered sword. A very large bear was nearby, and a piece of the sword was lodged in its head. It was clearly dead.

The soldiers rushed in and restrained Kevin. They brought him back to the cellars of Brad's house, where Kelly healed his wound and brought him back to consciousness.

Once he was conscious, Kelly questioned him about what he had done to Jennifer and if he had an antidote for the poison.

"The poison is nothing fatal, but nothing pleasant, and I don't have an antidote for it."

Brad questioned, "But there is an antidote for it?"

Kevin was silent. Brad said, "Very well, there is an easy way to find out the information we need without you talking."

Brad told a guard to bring the device to him. The guard did as instructed and brought in a device that looked like a metal helmet attached by wires to a cart. Kelly placed the device on Kevin's head.

Kevin twitched when Brad flipped a switch. Brad knew he was anticipating some form of torture, and although he had no intention of inflicting any torture he didn't want to relieve him of that fear yet. After a few minutes some machinery on the cart buzzed and a sheet of paper came out. Brad grabbed the sheet of paper and read it. He said, "All right, that's really all the information we need. Guards, see to it that he is not able to escape but make sure that he has some food."

Kelly, Brad, and some of the soldiers left the cellars. Kelly said, "What does the sheet say? And what was that machine?"

"That was a mind-reading machine I made in this story, and the sheet says that the Sultana is in this story and that she was the one who gave them the poison. It also lists her location… if anyone has an antidote it should be her. You should continue with the soldiers and find her location. I will send word to Erik of these developments. Good luck."

"Thank you for your help." With that, Kelly and her soldiers departed in the direction of the Sultana.


	95. A Message and Hope

Erik held Jennifer as she slept and noticed that, while her countenance was peaceful for a little while, her expressions became disturbed again after only a short time. Her eyes were closed, but every so often Erik could see a flicker of red that lasted for only a brief amount of time. Erik decided that perhaps stealth rather than direct combat would help Jennifer…

He stroked her hair softly and whispered, "Trust me, my dear child, and open your mind to me… so that I can save you."

He saw her eyes briefly flash yellow and felt her body go limp, just as it had before. He felt the same peculiar sensation of being in two places at once as he had before. But this time it felt different… the spirit didn't seem to notice him. It seemed to be focusing all of its attention on Jennifer. He could tell by the tumultuous state that she was in that the spirit was giving her nightmares again. Erik clenched his fist in anger but resolved himself to find someway to help her without giving away his presence.

He searched the area, looking around for anything that might give him an advantage over the spirit… any weakness he could exploit. As he was searching he saw two creatures passing by. Their skin resembled the poison in color, glowing with a sickly green hue. They were each about half as tall as Erik. Erik focused and hid himself in shadows, and they did not see him and continued talking as they were before.

One of them, who was perhaps half an inch taller than the other, was speaking when Erik could first hear there conversation. "…need to make sure we up the strength of the poison during the spirit's resting time, in case the girl tries to resist. Make sure you are on time this time, too, and that you don't let it wear off until after the spirit can fully take control again. You know how furious it was when the girl threw up…made everything all uncomfortable for it."

"All right, I'll make sure that I get the strength raised on time… but why does it need to be at exactly eight in the morning, anyway?"

"You ought to know better than to question that spirit or its ways…it's doing an awfully good job of taking over this girl's mind and finding hidden abilities to unleash…it's a good thing the girl's husband doesn't seem to know that the girl's fears will stop him from saving her completely, unless he deals with those."

"I don't think he'd be able to, either. She seems so afraid and the spirit is increasing that fear so well. It seems to be a hopeless cause."

In the other place Erik saw that Jennifer was beginning to stir, her eyes blinking open and flashing between gold, red, and brown. Erik decided that he should leave now and comfort her, and try to use the information he had gained to his advantage.

He withdrew from her mind, watching her eyes become brown again as they opened, and embraced her gently as she woke up. He smiled at her and said, "Hello, Jennifer. Are you feeling any better now?"

She frowned. "Not particularly… but I felt that you were with me and that helped me through the nightmares. I argued with the spirit, Erik, I tried resisting…"

He soothed her with his voice. "I'm glad, my dear. Keep it up, and remember that I'm here for you. I think we need to talk, but first I would like to find out if any messengers have come bearing news about Kevin."

"All right, Erik." She smiled, hoping that maybe he had been found and Kelly and the other soldiers were on their way back with an antidote to help her.

Erik returned her smile, and then reached for a black mask with golden edges. He carefully put it on and then said, "I would like for you to come with me this time, my dear. I don't want to leave you alone, and I'd rather keep you with me than entrust your safety to a guard again."

Jennifer nodded her agreement. "I'll feel much safer with you."

Erik nodded and offered her his arm. She accepted it and they approached the door.

They left the room and Erik asked one of the guards, "What time is it?"

"It's about ten in the evening, my lord."

"Have any messengers come?"

"There's been a report that one was spotted, approaching with a flag of Kelly's unit, about half an hour ago. They should be here any minute now, sire."

Erik thanked the guard. Sure enough, just a couple of minutes later a messenger entered the palace and was led to Erik.

Erik asked, "Do you have good news?"

The messenger responded, "Yes, my lord, I do. With the help of Lord Brad, Kevin has been apprehended. They have extracted from him information regarding the location of the Sultana, who apparently was the one who sent Matt and Kevin with the poison in the first place. Kelly and the soldiers with her are on their way to this location and hope to find an antidote there."

"Thank you. Is that the whole message?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Very well. Then my wife and I will return to our room." He addressed one of the guards, "We would like to have a meal brought in to us in about half an hour." Then he and Jennifer walked back into their room.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review! The next chapter or the one after that might come slower because my exams are coming up and I'm going to need to study. I'll try not to let it take too long for me to get another chapter up, though. 


	96. A Trap and a Conversation

The soldiers had reached the location indicated by the sheet. It was a decently large home. Kelly and Vincent approached the doorway first. As Vincent knocked the door swung open. Kelly and Vincent had just entered and the other soldiers were about to enter when the door slammed shut behind them. It seemed to be held fast by magical means and nothing the soldiers tried showed any promise of success in opening the door.

The room was dark but Kelly and Vincent could just barely make out the silhouette of a woman standing behind a curtain. The woman addressed them. "Hello, friends of Erik and his little wife. I've been expecting you. You are seeking an antidote, correct?"

Vincent replied, "Yes, an antidote for the poison you made Jennifer take!"

Kelly said, "We have captured Matt and Kevin, you know. We want to save Jennifer."

"Yes, I'm sure you do. But I'm sorry to inform you that you will not leave my home alive."

With that, a trap-door opened under their feet and after a while they landed on a hard surface. Kelly heard a few bones snap, but the room they were in was completely dark.

Back at the palace, Erik and Jennifer were in Jennifer's bathroom. Jennifer had changed her clothing, as had Erik. Erik was wearing his black robes with the golden edges and Jennifer had on white clothing similar to the ones she was first wearing when they came to this world.

Jennifer was now sitting in front of a mirror and Erik was brushing her hair very gently, trying to help her relax. He needed to talk to her about her fear, and he didn't want her to go into the conversation already nervous.

After he had thoroughly brushed her hair he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently caressed them. Looking in the mirror, he saw her eyes close and a small smile form on her face. He continued to caress her and eventually moved on to caressing her back. He smiled at how pleasant it felt and he was very glad that she didn't seem at all frightened. As she now seemed relaxed, he figured he should begin speaking to her.

Erik said, "Do you like it when I touch you like this?"

"Yes, Erik. I do. It feels very nice."

"I'm glad. Are you ready to talk now?"

"Yes, Erik."

"All right. First, I want you to understand that nothing that is happening to you is in any way your fault. This spirit is taking advantage of your fears, but that doesn't mean that you are at all to blame simply for being afraid. This particular fear that you have…it's an understandable fear for someone as young and innocent as you to have. You aren't anywhere close to being ready for it, so of course the idea of it seems frightening now. I had hoped that it would be enough to reassure you that it won't happen anytime soon, that it's not anything to be concerned about. I know that you trust me and usually that would be enough…you could be at peace knowing that at this point I don't even see it as an issue at all and that I have sufficient control to suppress any urges that might scare you, to direct my feelings and desires towards activities that please me and not only do not frighten you, but make you happy as well. Like…like what I'm doing right now, my dear, rubbing your back. You've already told me that it feels nice to you, and I can tell you that I certainly enjoy it."

"Yes, it does feel nice."

"I know it does." He smiled. "But, as I was saying, it would usually be enough for you trust me and to understand that that which you fear is not going to happen any time soon. However, this spirit has moved your fear, once easily pacified, to the forefront of your thoughts. It's made it seem like it's something to worry about, like something to dread. It's made you feel that you are in danger and that my level of control in this could snap at any time and…it's simply not true, but when the spirit is controlling you, it makes you believe it, and waters what was once the tiny seed of a distant fear until it grows very tall, obscuring your thoughts of everything but this dread, telling you that it will come to pass much sooner than you think. You know that this isn't true, but the roots are strong and you can't easily dig them up on your own. So it does not seem to be enough to reassure you that it won't happen any time soon- in order to stop this spirit I need to let you know that that which you dread is not something to be feared."

"But you said that my fear is understandable…"

"Yes, I did, because it is understandable, to an extent. It is definitely understandable that if it were to happen soon, you would be terrified. It is also understandable that if you did not grow and mature between now and the time years from now when it might happen, that if it were to happen then you would be frightened. But the truth is that you are still young, still growing, still maturing. In one as young as you, a lot of change can happen in just a few years. Look at how much you've already matured and grown and learned in just a short time! Before we kissed for the first time, what did you think of kissing?"

"I thought it seemed gross and a little bit scary, and I didn't think I'd ever want to do it."

"And yet you don't feel the same way now?"

"No, I don't. It still seems strange, but it's not really scary and it feels nice."

"Is it hard to believe that maybe this could be the same way? That it seems very frightening because you are young and not ready yet… but someday, when you're an adult, when we reach the time when, with your permission, it could happen, it might not seem scary. You'd probably still be nervous, but I would be nervous, too…"

"I've never thought of it like that, Erik…but how can we know for sure that someday I won't be afraid, or that I'll ever be ready?"

"We can't, really, but that's simple to deal with. If you are ready and you want to do that, then it'll happen. If you aren't ready or if you are but don't want to do it, then it won't happen. It doesn't ever have to happen, you know, I'm happy with you spending your time with me and letting me hold you and kissing me."

Erik turned her around to face him and, after removing his mask, gently kissed her on the lips. "It's just another, different way to express love...but there would never be any point in it happening so long as you are frightened of it. It would only make you fearful and sad when my intention would be to share love and joy with you. So you don't have to be afraid and I want you to realize that all of nightmares the spirit gives you are just that: nightmares. They could never happen, because I wouldn't want it to happen unless I knew that _you_ wanted it to happen. And now that you know that they are impossible, it is my hope that you will be able to fight them with me more easily. I…I also want to let you know that if I ever touch you in any way that you don't like or that you aren't comfortable with, I want you to tell me. I only intend to show you my affection, and if any action of mine intended to do so is failing in that, I need to know. I'd like it if you tell me when it works, too. I will try to do the same…but you shouldn't be afraid to tell me anything. I want to know how you feel."

"All right, I'll try to communicate better about how I feel. You've made me feel a lot better now, though, Erik. Oh, what's that knock?"

"I believe our meal, is here, my love. We should go get that." He replaced his mask and they walked together towards the door.


	97. Meet the Press

Kelly looked around the small room, her eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness. Her back and arms were aching, and her left arm felt broken. When she moved her hand it collided with Vincent's head and she felt the sensation of blood on her hands. Vincent did not respond and apparently had been knocked unconscious.

Kelly tried to heal him and after a few moments the bleeding stopped and the wound began to heal, but he still likely had a concussion.

Suddenly, Kelly perceived a dim light. She moved in the direction of the light and stumbled upon an opening out of the tiny room. Opening it, she saw a slightly larger room that was rather dimly lit. As she opened it further the dim light flooded into the tiny room into which they had fallen.

The tiny room was cylindrical in shape with black metal walls, and jagged rocks were scattered over the stony floor. Vincent had fallen onto one such rock.

Kelly saw that there was a couch in the dimly lit room. It looked rather uncomfortable, but she figured comfort was the least of Vincent's concerns and struggled to bring him to it. She hoped that he would wake up soon and that together they could find a way out.

* * *

Erik answered the door, and indeed their food was there. He admitted the person bringing it into the room and they placed the food on the table, bowed, and left.

There was Russian tea for Erik and milk for Jennifer, and the meal consisted of bacon and scrambled eggs. They ate in a contented, companionable silence that was only sullied by the worry both felt about how things would work out.

After they finished eating Erik had to go take care of some imperial business. As promised, he brought Jennifer with him, and they walked arm and arm to the room where the first meeting was taking place.

These meetings did not involve Jennifer as much as the first one she had attended had, and she mostly listened and sat next to Erik while he held her hand. Occasionally he whispered a question to her about what she thought about what was being said or about how she felt, and she smiled and answered him.

After the first series of meetings, there was a break for lunch. Erik and Jennifer went back to their room for lunch and they were served chicken noodle soup with Russian tea for Erik and milk for Jennifer.

While they were eating, Erik warned Jennifer about the purpose of the next meeting that they were to attend. "This next meeting is one with the press. They have noticed your unusual absence at official events and meetings over the time since you were been poisoned. They have been speculating wildly, but do not know about the evil spirit, and it is important that they do not know. They want to ask you some questions, but you needn't worry. I'll be right there with you. And don't worry: it won't be exactly like the press in your world. No internet or television here, just text in newspapers. But it is important that the people know that you are all right. I will do most of the speaking, but they may wish to ask you a few questions. Are you fine with this?"

She nodded. "Yes, Erik. I think I'll be all right."

He smiled, and she could see it since he had taken his mask off to eat. She smiled back, and he asked her if he could kiss her on the lips. She nodded, and he did.

They were both still smiling and he replaced his mask. He held her hand as they walked towards the room where they would be addressing the press.

When they arrived at the door, a servant opened it for them and led them onto the small stage. Erik felt Jennifer squeeze his hand and realized that she was nervous. He stroked her hair gently, hoping to help her calm down. It seemed to work, and they walked out onto the stage.

The reporters, who had previously been fairly loud, were quieted as Erik began to speak. "As you all may have heard, my wife was forcibly poisoned recently. Those directly responsible have been apprehended, although our soldiers have found reasons to believe that a mastermind responsible for this attack is still at large. Our soldiers found this location after apprehending one of the boys responsible for the poisoning, with the help of Lord Brad. If you have any questions of me or of the empress, you may ask them now."

One of the reporters asked, "Empress, how are you feeling now?"

"I am feeling much better, thank you, although I am still not fully recovered."

Another asked, "Empress, what symptoms did you experience as a result of the poison?"

"My body, and especially my head, ached severely and I experienced intensely frightening nightmares. I felt completely drained physically and mentally. At times I think I even blacked out, but I can't remember for certain. If my husband, the emperor, had not seen to my care so well I doubt I would be well enough to be walking around and speaking now."

Another reporter asked, "Was there ever a chance that this poison could have had fatal results?"

Erik answered, "No. We do not believe that the ones responsible for this intended for the poison to be fatal and made sure that the dose was at a certain amount that would maximize my wife's suffering while leaving no chance of a fatal result. We believe that the mastermind behind this wanted to send a message to me and to the people. This was a threat not just to my wife but to our entire empire, and it will not be tolerated."

The reporters applauded at this statement, and Erik asked if there were any questions on any other matters.

One reporter asked, "You have previously stated a desire to increase the civil rights and liberties of the people, Emperor. How do you respond to those who say that such a change will limit your own power and thus hamper the empire's security?"

"I know that the people trust me and have faith in me. When our empire is threatened, as I believe it has been with the poisoning, I do not hesitate to use any and all means at my disposal to apprehend and bring those responsible to justice. But my people are loyal, and I believe that loyalty should be rewarded, not ignored. I want the people to know that I believe that they should be able to speak and worship freely as they choose, that reporters like you should not be hampered in spreading news to the people, that people should all be treated with a level of dignity, whether they are a noble or a peasant. Allowing the people to have certain freedoms does not limit my power in anyway, and I do not intend to be an oppressive ruler as my predecessors were. The people are not a threat to me; they are my strength, and together with them we will find the ones who are threatening this empire."

The reporters again applauded, and Erik called the meeting to a close, as there were no more questions. Erik and Jennifer returned to their room so that Jennifer could get some rest. She was starting to look a bit dizzy...

* * *

I'm sorry that it's been so long since I last updated, but I hope that you are still reading and enjoying this. Leave a review to let me know that you're still here, please! 


	98. Newspapers and Resting

While Kelly was waiting for Vincent to wake up, she saw a pile of papers sitting in one corner. Curious, she approached them and examined them. Seeing that they were newspapers that seemed to be a couple of weeks old, she was surprised to see Jennifer and Erik on the front page of the top one, in black and white. The headline read, "Emperor married in private ceremony".

Kelly exclaimed, "This must be part of their memories. Perhaps they differ in this story. In any case, I should read the article."

"Emperor Erik married quietly on Wednesday evening. His bride, Jennifer, is the young court magician and inventor, a role that our Emperor himself filled before seizing power last fall.

The new empress has been well-known for her high intelligence, unusual in women. To avoid being married off or sold by the town elders, who of course wanted to capitalize on her unusual intelligence, which had attracted attention from many, she declared that she would only go with someone who could defeat her in every challenge of ingenuity and intellect. The town elders agreed to this and decided that those who challenged her and lost would have to pay a hefty fee.

Many men challenged her and none defeated her- until our emperor arrived at the town while visiting the area. It was shortly after he had taken the throne, at a time when it was becoming obvious that the people were growing respectful of him and his rule, even more so than they ever were of the rulers who had recently preceded him.

Our emperor heard about this and reportedly could not resist the challenge. It was a very close match, but in the end the emperor prevailed. As a result, he brought her to the palace to serve as a court magician and inventor, and also as a private advisor."

At this point the article stopped, to be continued on the next page, but Kelly could not find the next page anywhere. Suddenly, she detected a strange odor, and before she knew it she was unconscious.

* * *

Erik and Jennifer arrived back in their room and Jennifer was still dizzy. Erik put his hands on her shoulders to help steady her. Then he lifted her into his arms and said, "My dear, would you like to take a nap now?"

"Yes, Erik."

"Is the coffin all right?"

"Yes, it's fine."

Erik lowered her into it gently and then, after removing his mask, lay down in it himself. He held her in his arms and felt her rest her head on his chest. He gently rubbed her back and felt her relax.

He asked, "Do you feel any better, my dear?"

"Not so dizzy now…I feel very tired, Erik."

"Then would you like me to sing to you to help you fall asleep?"

"That would be nice, Erik…I think I just want to sleep for a little while anyway."

Erik smiled. "That's fine. Could I kiss you on the lips before you go to sleep?"

Jennifer smiled back. "Sure, Erik."

He kissed her gently on the lips and then sang a lullaby to her, lulling her to sleep.

As he held his sleeping wife in his arms, he caressed her gently while thinking about how he was going to help her. He felt that he had made some progress in his conversation with her earlier. He also thought that the meeting with the press had gone rather well. They had usually reported rather favorably about him, and he had no doubt that this might increase his popularity among the people. He believed that they might be very helpful to him should he need further help in saving Jennifer.

She looked very pale, he thought. He had made sure he was within sight of the clock at all times, making sure that he was aware of the approach of eight o'clock. It was now three o'clock and so he turned his thoughts towards planning how he would defeat the spirit that had dared to make his wife suffer.


	99. Antidote

                      When Kelly regained consciousness, she was in yet another dark, unfamiliar place.  She was surprised, however, when she heard a familiar voice.  She recognized it as Shannon's voice.  Kelly was surprised.  Shannon whispered, "Be quiet, it's lucky that Drew and I found you here but we need to get out as soon as possible, before the sultana's soldiers return.  Drew is carrying Vincent out, as he is unconscious.  Do you feel well enough to walk?"

                      Kelly was confused.  There was something different about Shannon.  She seemed…shorter than before.  "Yes, I think so.  How did you find us here?"

                      "There's no time for that now.  We've got to go."

                      Kelly nodded, and Shannon led her through a tunnel.  Shannon was careful to conceal the entrance to the tunnel once they had passed through it.

                      After they had traveled some distance in the tunnel, Kelly heard the sound of the soldiers reentering the room, apparently in chaos at finding that she had disappeared.  No doubt the sultana would not be pleased…

                      Eventually they came upon a cave-like little room that had been furnished with colorful furniture in earthy tones.  There was light here, as a few candles were burning on some of the side tables.  In the dim light Kelly realized why Shannon looked different- she was no longer human, but instead some sort of sprite-like being.

                       Kelly saw Vincent lying on a comfortable-looking sofa.  Drew was sitting in an armchair, and he too had changed, and appeared to be some sort of elf.

                       Kelly asked, "Are we safe now?"

                       Shannon replied, "Yes, for the moment, at least.  In answer to your question, we found you because we have been watching the happenings at the Sultana's house for quite a while.  She is up to no good, and her plot to poison Jennifer was just the first step.  She is gone now, orchestrating the next stage of her scheme."

                       Drew said, "We think that the leader of the guards still here has access to a vial of an antidote to the poison and is protecting it.  If you can get access to that, you can get it back to palace soon, hopefully in time to help Jennifer."

                       Kelly asked, "Do you have a plan for how to get access to it?"

                       Shannon said, "Yes, we do.  There are a couple more people from the class here, and a few more elves who aren't from the class.  We'll have a few stay here with Vincent and the rest of us will go try to get the antidote.  Once successful we'll send a few back with you to the palace.  But first, are you all right?  Are you injured at all?"

                       Kelly shook her head.  "I'm not hurt, just hungry and thirsty."

                       Drew got up and walked into an adjacent room and retrieved a glass of water and some bread.  He gave it to Kelly and invited her to sit down.  She did and then she ate the food.

                       Once she had eaten it, they handed her a sword that she could use and then were ready to go.  Kelly went with Drew, Shannon, and a group of five other elves through a different tunnel than before.

                        They arrived back in the Sultana's compound and had a brief skirmish with a few guards.  One of the elves received a relatively minor injury, but they defeated the Sultana's soldiers.  After that was over they proceeded to find the leader of the guards.

                        He was alone, apparently looking over some plans in his office.  He looked weary and his red hair had hints of gray in it.  He scowled when he detected the presence of intruders and called out, but unfortunately for him most of the guards were still searching the premises for signs of Vincent and Kelly.

                         Quickly, Shannon threw a knife at him.  It was well-aimed and effectively pinned his arm to his desk, as the five elves and Drew surrounded him before he could remove the knife with his other hand.

                         Kelly asked, "Where is the antidote?"

                         He sneered.  "It is well protected and far away from here.  You will not be able to find it."

                         Shannon said, "He is lying."  Very quickly, she stabbed him in the chest.  He sputtered and, after a few minutes, died.

                         Kelly seemed shocked, but Shannon explained, "Our spies have already reported that it is in that chest.  I saw the key glint from his vest pocket."  Sure enough, she retrieved a key from the pocket in his vest and handed it to Kelly.

                         Kelly approached the chest and opened it with the key.  It fit and, sure enough, the vial was inside.  Kelly felt that she was somehow particularly lucky today and grabbed the vial.

                         As promised, several elves accompanied Kelly on her trip back to the palace.  Among them was Tiffany.  Kelly was glad to see Tiffany, but they held off on catching up with each other, deciding that they had to get to the palace as soon as possible.  The horse Shannon gave to Kelly was swift, as were the ones the elves rode, so they arrived at the palace in about six hours, at seven in the morning.  Kelly only hoped that it wasn't too late.

 

* * *

                          Erik was still holding Jennifer and planning at around 6:50 AM, when Jennifer started shivering.  Erik could tell that she was in a lot of pain and stroked her hair, trying to help her feel better.  About fifteen minutes later, he heard a knock on the door.

                          Erik replaced his mask and went to answer the door.  It was Kelly.

                          "Kelly!  Did you find the antidote?"

                          Kelly nodded and handed it to him.  He said, "Thank you, I'll give it to her right now."

                          Erik gently woke Jennifer up.  "I have good news, my dear.  Kelly has found the antidote."

                          Jennifer smiled drowsily.  "Really?"

                          "Yes, my dear.  I have it right here.  I need you to sit up and swallow this."  She sat up and he opened the vial and handed it to her.  She swallowed the substance.

                          "It may take a while to come into effect, so if you would like to you could sleep for a little while longer."

                          "Yes, I would like that.  You'll still be here with me, right?"

                          "Yes, my dear, of course."

                          He removed his mask again and they both lay down in the coffin.  He held her in his arms, waiting for eight o'clock, when he hoped he would finally be able to end this.


	100. Victory

Sorry this update took so long. Things have been getting rather hectic, with AP exams right around the corner. I'm taking 6 this year, so... yeah. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Post a review to let me know that you're still reading and what you think of it. Thanks!

* * *

When eight o'clock arrived, Erik whispered some soothing words to Jennifer as she slept and then entered her mind stealthily as he had previously.

He could tell that the spirit had started to rest. Jennifer seemed more at peace now. Her breathing was calm and steady and she wasn't shivering. Erik figured he would need to move quickly, though. He had no idea how long the spirit would rest for. He just hoped it would be long enough.

Erik made his way to the spirit's resting place, dodging any of the sickly green creatures he encountered. He was a master of stealth even here and it did not pose too much difficulty. It seemed almost too easy…

He followed the traces of the spirit that he could sense until he arrived at the spirit's resting place. It was a dark and spiral-shaped pit that looked almost like a spiral shell. Erik readied himself to attack, and climbed down into the pit.

He could feel that he was closer to the spirit, and felt Jennifer shiver in his arms. He saw the spirit resting, in an upright position but with its eyes closed. It had assumed Jennifer's form, but it was wearing a red outfit that was a lot more revealing than anything Jennifer would wear willingly.

Erik was thrown off balance by this, but recovered. This was not Jennifer. Jennifer was the innocent girl in his arms. He had no doubt that spirit had displayed itself in this form to defend itself from him, hoping to confuse him. He couldn't let that work.

He approached the spirit and attacked mentally. The red eyes shot open, and they began to fight. A sword just like the yellow lightsaber Erik had had while in Star Wars appeared in his hand, and a red lightsaber appeared in the spirit's hand. They fought for a while, and both of them were very aggressive. Erik was furious.

They kept striking at each other for a while, with neither one seeming to gain an advantage. The spirit tried to distract Erik with remarks about Jennifer. Erik became even more furious and aggressive in response.

"I'm not going to give up this host easily, Erik. I've made a lot of progress in taking it over and I'm not going to give up all that effort I put in for nothing. You may as well just give up. In fact, if you did so I'd be willing to compensate you, in a way…I could reverse all of the damage I've done, all the fears I've worsened, and I could even fill her with the idea that it would be very good to do that with you. Does this interest you?"

"I'm not here to make a deal with you. I'm here to get you out of my wife's mind."

"Oh, but I think you are interested…or maybe once I've completed my conquest of her mind- which will be very soon- I could jump to yours. That would be quite the challenge, and one I would quite enjoy. I'd have more power that way, too! Power over a nation…"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You haven't succeeded here yet, and I have no intention of letting you do so…"

Erik stroked Jennifer's hair and whispered, "Fight against it with me, my dear."

Erik attacked the spirit with his mind and with the lightsaber, and could feel that Jennifer had attacked with all of her force at the same time. The spirit let out an inhuman screech and dissipated. Erik could see all traces of the spirit and of the poison beginning to recede. He had a bad feeling this would not be the last time they crossed paths with it, but he could tell that they had won this battle.

He removed himself from Jennifer's mind and hugged her, grinning. Her eyes opened, and they were their usual brown color. She was clearly tired but Erik thought she looked so beautiful as she smiled back at him. "You're going to be all right now, my dear. The spirit is gone."

"I know, Erik. Thank you for saving me."

"I couldn't have done it without your help, Jennifer." He kissed her on the lips, feeling very giddy and pleased with how things had turned out. When he pulled away they both smiled.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, Erik. I feel much better. There's still a little bit of soreness left in my head but…I can think now without being interrupted. I feel so much better."

"I am very glad. Now, are you tired or would you like to go do something?"

"I'm still a little bit tired, but I'd really like to read now."

Erik nodded and they began to read together.


	101. Trouble Brewing

Sorry, I know it's been a while. I hope you haven't all forgotten about this story! I've gotten a lot of new ideas for this part and the next part of the story.

I also will try to get another chapter in before I leave on a trip to Europe, but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to do so. If I don't then the next update will be sometime in late June. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave a review!

* * *

Brad had gotten some sleep and then was going to check on Kevin's status when a messenger arrived at his estate. Brad had them sent in and found that they were from the palace.

"What is your message?"

"Sir, the antidote was successfully obtained and given to the empress. She is expected to recover fully."

Brad was relieved. "Thank you. I am glad to hear that."

Just then, a servant announced that another messenger had arrived. He was from one of the outposts from the edges of Brad's territory. Brad frowned, as that probably wasn't good news.

Sure enough, the messenger said, "Sir, enemy forces are gathering along the frontier of your lands. The border commanders have enacted preliminary measures of defense and await your orders for further action."

"I see. Is there any information as to who these 'enemy forces' belong to?"

"Yes, sir. We believe that they are the forces of a previous ruler of the empire, the sultana."

Brad nodded and addressed the messenger from the palace. "You heard all of this?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Then bear this information back to the emperor. It is urgent."

The messenger bowed and left the estate in the direction of the palace. Brad then addressed the messenger from the outpost and called in some of his other messengers. "We need to mobilize our forces. Send word to the captains to have their units readied to depart at a moment's notice, and have the new weapons fully prepared. Send word back to the outpost to continue the defensive actions and notify me of any changes in the situation as we await word from the Emperor."

The messengers left to carry out his instructions and Brad went to check on Kevin's status. Now that he knew that the one Kevin was helping was bringing forces to the edges of his territory, it was even more crucial to find out more information from him.

* * *

After Erik and Jennifer read together for a while, they decided that it was time to have a music lesson. Erik led Jennifer to a separate room that had better facilities for their lessons. It had a piano and Erik's violin. Erik gave her lessons for several hours and when they were done he asked her if she would like him to play something for her on the violin. She nodded and sat down and he played for her, something to help her relax.

When he was done he embraced her and kissed her on the cheek. He caressed her shoulders and then her back and said, "I'm so glad that the antidote arrived on time and that you will recover now."

"I'm very glad, too. Kelly found it?"

"Yes, Kelly found the antidote."

"Is she all right? Was she in any danger?"

"I imagine she was in some danger, as it was the sultana who had the antidote. But she seemed to be all right when I saw her. Would you like to speak with her, my dear?"

"Yes, Erik, I would like that."

Erik nodded and they both walked back to the hallway, where they found Greg.

"Good morning, Greg. Do you know where Kelly is?"

"Last time I saw her she was going to her quarters to rest, sir."

"Thank you, Greg."

Erik and Jennifer headed in the direction of the guard quarters. They arrived there and found Kelly's room. Erik knocked on the door.

After a few moments, Kelly opened the door and smiled when she saw Erik and Jennifer there. Erik said, "Hello, Kelly. I thought you and Jennifer might want to speak together for a little while. Would you like to come with us to a garden where you can talk together?"

Kelly smiled, "All right, that would be great. I'm glad to see that Jennifer is doing better."

Erik smiled back, "Yes, the antidote certainly helped."

He led them to a small courtyard that contained beautiful flowers in various colors. Kelly and Jennifer smiled and sat down on a stone bench to talk, and Erik stood by the entrance watching his wife and admiring the way her smile lit up her face and made her look even more beautiful to him.

They talked for a while and Erik did not listen to most of it, as it was about various things at school that had happened since Jennifer had gone with him. Then, however, they started talking about Kelly's search for the antidote.

Kelly told Jennifer everything that had happened, with a particular focus on how she met Shannon, Drew, and some of the other students and their role in obtaining the antidote.

"Yes, and Tiffany returned here with me to the palace. She is still resting though, and she is staying in a spare room in the guard quarters."

"Oh, did you get a chance to catch up with her and ask her about what they all had been doing?"

"No, I haven't yet; I was going to wait a few more hours first until we had both had adequate time to rest. It was a long ride here."

"Yes, I imagine, and I'm very grateful to you for obtaining the antidote and helping me recover."

"You're welcome. I'm just glad that you're going to be all right now."

They continued talking for a little while longer, until about half an hour had passed and the conversation had come to an end. Kelly returned to her room and Erik embraced Jennifer before they headed back towards their room.

On the way back, a messenger approached him. "Sir, there is an urgent matter, an emergency, that requires your attention."

"What's wrong?"

"The one who poisoned the empress has escaped."

Erik was filled with fury. He summoned some guards to watch Jennifer and take her back to their room, and sent other ones out in pursuit of Matt. Some had already left, but he sent more to keep searching.

Erik tore off to the dungeon where Matt had been kept. The sight that greeted him was not a pretty one.

The bodies of all of the guards were lying in a heap, all injured horribly. There was blood all over the place, and Erik noticed a message on one wall written in some of the blood: "I have found a new host – The Spirit."

Erik searched for any sign of how Matt had managed to escape or of where he might be going, but it was in vain. He returned to his room and found Jennifer sitting on the couch. When he came in she looked up to him questioningly.

Erik sighed. "The same spirit has possessed Matt and carried out this escape." Jennifer began crying.

Erik sat down with her, removed his mask, and took her into his arms. He kissed her on the top of her head and, calming down, whispered, "Don't worry, they'll find him. And, in the mean time, I will keep you safe."

Jennifer whispered, "I know, Erik. I love you." She turned around and kissed him on the cheek.

Erik kissed her on the lips, and then turned her and stroked her hair. They both fell asleep like that.


	102. A Glimpse of the Future

Sometime in the future, Mr. Moates looked out his window at all the desolation that surrounded him, that had engulfed the whole world since the terrible and unpredictable events that had occurred.

How had things gotten this far? Now all of his family, friends, students, and coworkers would have already died or would surely die soon. What was left for him here? What was left for him anywhere in the world?

His brooding was interrupted by a knock on his door. Who could be knocking now? He went to go answer the door.

When he asked "Who is it?" a man's voice with a French accent replied. "I'm from an organization trying to prevent the disasters that have thrown the world into chaos. We believe that you would be a valuable asset to our team."

"How can you prevent what has already happened?"

"We believe that the key to stopping this lies with a device called the Story Seeker and a mutual acquaintance of ours. Unfortunately in the reality we would need to go to help her she doesn't know either of us."

Mr. Moates cautiously opened the door. The man at the door was tall and appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. He was wearing a suit and dark sunglasses. He extended his hand, and Mr. Moates shook it. "You may call me Agent L for now."

Mr. Moates nodded. "Who is this mutual acquaintance?"

Agent L withdrew a photograph from inside his jacket. "One of your former students: Jennifer."

* * *

The messenger arrived back at the palace, saying that he had an urgent message from Brad for emperor. The guards brought him to the entrance to Erik's and Jennifer's room, and they knocked on the door.

Erik had already been awake for about an hour, enjoying the feeling of holding Jennifer in his arms, when he heard the knock. He replaced his mask and went to see what the problem was.

Erik opened the door and the messenger said, "My lord, I have returned from the estate of Lord Brad. I bring the urgent news that enemy forces believed to be under the command of the sultana are gathering along the border of Lord Brad's territory. Lord Brad has ordered for defensive measures to be taken and told me to bear you this message."

Erik frowned. This sounded like a very bad sign, and he wondered if the spirit's escape with Matt had anything to do with it. He thanked the messenger and told him to get some rest, and the summoned another messenger to send word to Brad to notify him of any changes in the situation and also to inform Brad of the events that had occurred here involving Matt and the spirit.

After that, Erik returned to the room and found that Jennifer had woken up. She looked concerned and asked, "What's wrong, Erik?"

Erik sighed. "There is a military threat to Brad's estate. At the moment, his troops can handle the situation, but this could be a significant threat against me. But it's nothing for you to worry about at the moment, my dear."

Erik sat back down on the couch they had slept on and took Jennifer back into his arms. He held her for a while and caressed her hair, trying to calm himself down and keep her calm. He was worried about what this threat could mean, but he didn't want her to be worried, too.

After a while he got up to get a book and they read together, trying to find some peace while surrounded by worries.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait! I went on a trip to Europe and then a combination of jet lag, writer's block, migraine, and laziness worked together to slow me down. But I've finally updated now, although it is a bit short, and I won't let it take more than a couple of weeks this time. Hopefully it'll be even less than that. Thank you for still reading, and please leave a review to let me know that I still have an audience!


	103. Bad Tidings from a Village

When Brad went to see how Kevin was doing, he found that Kevin was smiling his creepy smile. He had him hooked up to the mind-reading machine anyway, to see if his smiling was in any way related to the events currently happening along the borders of his land.

When the information he needed printed out, he grabbed the sheet of paper and read over it. It said that all of the pieces would soon be in place for an attack on the empire, that they would reclaim the empire for the sultana. It said that as far as Kevin knew an attack could be happening right now. There really wasn't any usable information aside from that, so Brad left to oversee the mobilization of his forces.

* * *

Back at the palace, a messenger arrived with the troubling news of an attack on a tiny village to the south of the palace, said to be lead by a young man with glowing red eyes. All of the homes were destroyed, and refugees were on their way to the palace seeking somewhere to stay for them and their families.

After hearing this, Erik decided that it was time for a press conference. He asked Jennifer to come with him, although he didn't expect for her to speak this time, and they went hand in hand to the same room they had been in the previous time.

The reporters and journalists filed into the room and prepared their notepads and questions. They were silent when Erik began to speak.

"My wife has recovered from the illness caused by the poison, thanks to the efforts of our soldiers to retrieve an effective antidote. However, now there is a new challenge facing this empire. A small village was burned to the ground just this morning by one of the men responsible for the poisoning. This is in connection with increasing tension and hostilities between the rising troops of the Sultana and our forces in the Brad's territory to the north.

"These are serious threats to the empire, and I want you to convey to the people that I am counting on them. It will take their help to defend their villages, their families, and their homes from these threats."

The reporters wrote down his words, and a few appeared to have questions. Erik nodded.

"I have a question for the empress, if that's all right."

Erik gave his permission.

"I am glad to see that you are feeling better. How do you feel about all of this?"

Jennifer appeared shy of speaking in front of so many people again, but Erik squeezed her hand to comfort her. "I feel horrible that the same one who tried to hurt me is going on to ruin more people's lives and destroy their homes. This situation is getting ridiculous and it needs to be stopped before more innocent people can be hurt."

Erik smiled, and no one seemed to have any more questions. The reporters muttered similar sentiments of pleasure that she was feeling better and then Erik dismissed them.

Next they were going to meet with some of the refugees from the attack on the village. They had arrived during the press conference and the guards, expecting them and under Erik's orders, had shown them to a large, pleasant garden with access to bathrooms, where they could have a change of clothes and freshen up, as well as plentiful food and drink.

When Erik and Jennifer arrived most of them had already finished changing their clothes and were in the process of eating, so Jennifer decided to join them in their meal and Erik sat down next to her.

Jennifer recognized one of the refugees as Kristina, from the class. They hugged when they both recognized each other and Jennifer asked her to explain what had happened, expressing her sympathy.

Kristina said that Matt had come with a strange look in his eyes, which had turned red. He was with some soldiers that seemed more like zombies than men, and they mechanically and systematically destroyed every home in the area. They stole all of the food and didn't take any prisoners, killing anyone in their path. The twenty refugees here were the only survivors; everyone else had died, if not by the sword, then by the flames and smoke that consumed their village.

Jennifer recognized the description of Matt's eyes as what her own would have looked like when she was under the control of the spirit. Her disposition looked grim at the moment, wondering what horrible things the spirit might have made her do without Erik and the antidote to fight it away.

Erik seemed to notice how depressed she looked and gently caressed her shoulder, hoping to make her feel better.

She gave him her hand to hold in response, and replied to Kristina sympathetically that they would do what they could to stop Matt.

A dark-haired young man, who introduced himself as Kolby, spoke up. "Those of us who are able to fight will gladly join your forces, to avenge the deaths of our friends and family members, and to ensure that this is not allowed to happen to our neighbors in other villages and towns throughout this empire. I believe that people from all over the empire will flock to join you as well once they hear what has happened to us and realize that the same fate could happen to them and their loved ones."

Erik nodded and smiled. "I appreciate this very much, and indeed I was counting on it. It will take the willingness and force of the people to defeat the threats that face us now, that you and I and my wife have all experienced first hand. Those of you who are too injured, young, old, or unable to fight are of course welcomed into the safety of this palace, and all of you are welcome to stay here until our forces are mobilized to fight."

With that, Erik held Jennifer's hand as she was asked about her experiences through the poisoning and her illness. They passed several more hours in the garden with the refugees, exchanging stories of the events that had befallen them.

* * *

Thank you for reading, and please leave a review to let me know what you think about it. There may be a similar delay for the next chapter as I am moving to live on campus next week and I don't know when I'm going to get my laptop and internet access. Plus classes will be starting... anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	104. Comfort and Tricks

Mr. Moates was a little surprised. "Jennifer? What could she possibly have to do with all of this?" He motioned outside, at all of the destruction around.

Agent L admitted, "I know it seems far-fetched. I could hardly believe it myself. She certainly was not directly responsible in any way, but there has been a shift in the time line. She is caught up in something bigger than anyone could have imagined. Different realities are colliding together and if they are not resolved well, this is the result."

"If this is true… what can we do about it?"

Agent L retrieved an object that at first glance appeared to be an iPhone. When turned on, however, the device's screen read "Story Seeker 2009."

"We go to the past and make sure that things happen as they are meant to be."

Mr. Moates nodded and they were surrounded by a flash of bright light swirling around them.

After Erik and Jennifer left the garden and the refugees, along with Kelly, they went to their room to let her relax for a little while. He could tell that recounting everything that had happened to her had taken a lot out of her, and he didn't want to overwhelm her by having her do too much at once when she had been under so much stress. He asked one of the guards to go get her a glass of water and then sat down on the sofa with her.

"You were very brave, to be able to talk to those journalists, my dear, and then to be able to recount what had happened to you to all of those people. I am very proud of you, Jennifer. I know that that must have been difficult for you, but you should have seen the looks on these people's faces when they heard you speak. You may not realize it, but you are the perfect spokeswoman for me."

She beamed at him. "It was hard to do, but it wasn't that hard to speak to them about what had happened to me when they were so open about what was done to them. What are you going to do about it, Erik?"

He grimaced. "Well, I'm going to have to go fight him. I don't think there's any avoiding that. The only question is of how large an army I will be able to mobilize before I face him. Hopefully the press conference will have helped with that, and they will see the urgency of the situation and notify the people of it today rather than waiting until tomorrow. A little later today I will see what forces have accumulated thus far and start the process of training them so that we can leave as soon as possible. My dear, you look so worried. Come here, let me hold you."

She did as he said, and he held her tenderly, caressing her back with his long fingers, enjoying the sensation and attempting to calm her down. He continued, "I don't want you to worry, Jennifer. I will take care of this, and I will make sure that Matt will not be able to harm any more innocents."

"Erik, it's not just Matt, you know. The spirit is with him. In him, just like it was in me. What he's doing now… that's not his doing, not really. He is responsible for what he did to me, you can blame him for that… but I wouldn't blame him for anything that happened in that village, no more than I could be blamed for cutting out his tongue."

"If the spirit is with him, that does complicate things. I have defeated the spirit before, but I have a feeling it would be even harder this time, you're right."

"Erik… I want to come with you. I can help."

"Absolutely not! It's not safe for you there, on a battlefield. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I seem to get hurt well enough when I stay here anyway. I'd feel much safer if I could go with you."

"That is a good point. Remember that I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you're safe, and that might mean that my decision may or may not be the one you want, but I will certainly take what you have said into consideration."

She snuggled into his chest, "All right, Erik. I know you want to protect me. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Don't worry about me, my dear. Everything will be all right." He held her for a little while longer, until the guard returned with the glass of water Erik had requested. He handed it to Jennifer and she drank it slowly, putting the glass down when she was finished.

"I should be going now to see that the troops have assembled. Would you like to go spend some more time with Kelly?"

"Yes, that would be fine." He could tell that she was still worried and kissed her on the cheek.

"Remember, everything will be fine. Erik will make sure of that." After brushing his fingers caressingly over her cheek, he left, and summoned Kelly to keep Jennifer company.

Meanwhile, Brad received another dose of bad news. Several skirmishes had broken out along the border, and the sultana's forces had managed to penetrate into his territory. Brad's tacticians believed that they would be advancing towards his main base of operation unless his forces met them to engage them in battle. Brad felt a bit leery about the whole situation, but his forces were mobilized and ready to go. The best course of action available to him was to leave enough forces behind for a formidable defense and then move up himself to attack the Sultana's forces before they could arrive.

He shared his intention with his lieutenants, who agreed, and then gave the order for the troops to head out. He was armored and armed and led the troops on horseback.

The march lasted for hours, but eventually they reached an area that, it was obvious, the Sultana's forces had visited. The ground and all of the vegetation in the area had been scorched and several serfs lay dead and dying in the fields. Brad felt saddened and made sure that those who could still be saved were given medical attention and those who could not were given proper burials. At the same time, he had scouts patrol the area for hints on where the Sultana and her forces had gone- or where they might be hiding.

Suddenly, the attack came, but Brad was shocked at the remarkably small size of the force attacking his troops. There scarcely could have been more than one hundred men- where was the rest of her army, and where was she?

The men there were formidable, and several of them were skilled in magical combat and defense. This made defeating them a challenge, and it took a while before Brad, with the help of his own magicians and the technological and numerical advantages of his army, won out.

By that time, the scouts had been unable to determine where the Sultana was or where she might be heading. Although the reports had claimed that she had been spotted in this area not too long ago, Brad supposed that some illusionary magic could be in play.

Brad left the scouts along with some troops in the area in case any more of the Sultana's soldiers remained and then headed back towards his base. When he arrived there, he realized what a trap he had fallen into.

The defensive forces had all been vanquished by a force they had never been meant to handle, and his home had been broken into, with many of the items it contained destroyed.

His suspicions were confirmed when he discovered that Kevin was gone. With nothing really left there to find, he led his now disheartened troops in pursuit of Kevin, the Sultana, and her forces.

I'm sorry this took so long! Because of a combination of college and NaNoWriMo...anyway, now I should be able to update on a fairly regular basis again. Please review to let me know what you think and that you're still interested!


	105. Only One Survivor

Erik had found a larger amount of troops than he had expected, and, even as more and more filtered in over the following days as word of what had happened to that village spread further, he began the process of having them trained and having arms prepared for them.

Erik's own armor was prepared for him, and in it he made a rather intimidating figure. His war mask and helm completed the image.

On the fourth day, they were nearly ready to go. Erik declared that they would leave and root out Matt the next day.

In the time he had had with Jennifer over those four days, they had sung and read as they usually did, but they also practiced the magic that they were apparently capable of in this world. He saw that, even though he had seen her while weakened by the poison, Jennifer was different in this story and would likely be capable of defending herself and would be of help to him on the battlefield. Besides, she had made a convincing point. Trouble did seem to find her, and she would be better off with him when it did than on her own, with only guards to help her.

Kelly and Greg were coming along with them, and Erik had assigned them to stay with Jennifer and protect her whenever he could not.

They travelled from village to village, making sure that the citizens were aware of the potential dangers and picking up more volunteers. When they came to the village Matt had desecrated, they saw the devastation for themselves. Nothing was left.

Kolby, along with the other citizens of that village who had been willing and able to join Erik's forces, all seemed quite sad to see the village they had lost and to be reminded of the loved ones who had died there.

Kolby asked Erik if he could address all of the soldiers. Erik saw the passion, the anger resting in Kolby's soul, and he knew that the boy could stir the troops to action perhaps even better than he himself could.

Kolby began, with a little bit of nervousness but a lot of passion, "My friends, my allies, we stand here in the ruins of my home town, my village. As you can see, there is no more life here, and the ones responsible for such destruction are no longer here to answer for their crimes. We cannot stand for this. While we pursue them, for all we know, they could be wreaking havoc and death on another innocent village just like mine. We should proceed and put an end to this!"

His words had a rousing effect on the troops, who were moved to continue traveling. Erik took charge of the situation and, acknowledging the strong feelings behind Kolby's words, ordered that they do just that and keep going.

Erik's horse was a sturdy creature, very tall and with a dark mane and a gray body. Most of the stablemen seemed to regard it as a dangerous animal, but, as with most animals, Erik had a way with it. It seemed to take to him right away.

Erik helped Jennifer get onto the horse before mounting it himself. He made sure that they would both be comfortable before they took off. They rode for several hours before Erik could tell that Jennifer was becoming drowsy. No one else seemed to be particularly tired, and it was not yet the opportune time for them to rest.

"My dear, I think you should try to get some sleep."

"I…I'm fine. We don't have to stop yet."

He smiled. "I know it's been a while, but your body is still recovering from the effects of the poison. You need more sleep to make sure that you make a complete recovery. Just lean back. There you go." He wrapped one arm around her, holding her against his chest. He was glad he wasn't wearing his full armor, but just his lighter armor. He whispered soothingly into her ear to help her fall asleep. "Don't worry, my dear. I've got everything under control."

It felt very good, to have her leaning back against him. She fell asleep fairly quickly and Erik kept riding.

Hours later, they came upon another village. All of its buildings had been burned to the ground. None of the cinders were still warm, leading Erik to believe that Matt was long gone. The troops were starting to get tired, so he decided that they should rest here after searching for any survivors.

Jennifer woke up in time to see the devastation that had been wrought on yet another innocent village. While the soldiers searched in vain for survivors, she closed her eyes and shed a few tears while gaining the focus to use a form of magic she realized she could while she was training with Erik.

"Erik, there is a young survivor hiding in the rubble over there. Let's go to him."

"All right. Where is he?"

Jennifer led the way to where she sensed the young boy's presence and, sure enough, there he was, an injured blonde boy who couldn't have been any older than ten, huddling up in the corner of what was once his home.

Upon seeing them, and particularly Erik in his frightening war mask, the boy shied away, but Erik used his voice to calm him and Jennifer said, "Don't worry, we're here to help you. This is the Emperor, and I am the Empress, but you can call me Jennifer. What is your name?"

"I'm Karl." He began to cry. "Everyone is dead."

Jennifer sat down next to him. "I'm very sorry. Who did this?"

"A man with red eyes and his soldiers. They were very scary, and they killed everyone. They killed everyone except for me. The man with red eyes told me to tell Erik that…that it's coming for him. I… I don't know who that is but he was really scary, and he killed my family and destroyed everything all around me. Why…why did I live? Did anyone else live, in the whole town?"

Jennifer seemed very sad. "I don't know, Karl. But you're safe now, and we'll take care of you."  
Jennifer and Erik exchanged a glance. Erik nodded and called some soldiers over to get Karl medical attention as well as some food, drink, and fresh clothing.

The soldiers had searched the rest of the area exhaustively and had found no signs of any other survivors. Jennifer's magic likewise revealed that Karl had been the only survivor. Erik declared that they should set up camp outside of the ruins and get some rest. The time was divided into different guard shifts. Erik asked Kolby to look after Karl, as he was closest to him among the soldiers in age.

After all of the arrangements were taken care of, Erik and Jennifer cuddled together inside their small tent. Erik sang Jennifer back to sleep and held her close to him before falling back to sleep himself, hoping that the morning would bring solutions and not even more problems.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	106. Skirmishes and A Murder

Erik and Jennifer woke up the next morning to the sound of shouting. Erik rose quickly and moved to arm himself. Jennifer asked groggily, "What's happening?" She moved to help him while she awaited an answer.

"I don't know, but I'd rather be prepared. Let's go find out what's wrong. Stay close to me."

Jennifer nodded and they left the tent together, meeting up with a couple of guards who were also going to investigate the noise. They went in its direction until they found one of the guards, bleeding profusely from his chest and his arm. Kelly leaped into action and administered aid to him, but it appeared to be too late.

The mortally wounded guard muttered, "They were heading towards Kolby's tent. You have to stop them."

Kelly stayed with him to attempt to save him, while Erik, Jennifer, and the other guard ran in the direction of Kolby's tent. They found a horde of zombie-like soldiers surrounding it. Erik and the guards went on the attack and took out as many of the zombie soldiers as they could. While they had the zombies occupied, Jennifer ran to the tent to the aid of Kolby and Karl. Kolby was trying to nurse a nasty wound to his arm, while Karl was huddled up in the corner, crying and covered in blood splatters. Luckily for him none of the blood was his own.

Jennifer got Kolby to sit down and used a spell that she had practiced with Erik to patch him up well enough until Kelly could properly take care of the wound. She helped him and then went to comfort Karl. He was quite shaken, and she had no doubt this would bring back memories of the first attack that had killed his family.

She went to Karl and held his hand, whispering calming words to try to comfort him. He whimpered, but it seemed to work. He hugged Jennifer, trying to find some comfort from the events of the past day. She held him close, feeling very sorry for the little boy.

Erik, with the help of the guards as well as a few more of his soldiers who came to his aid, had successfully taken out all of the zombie soldiers. He came back into the tent to get Jennifer and to see that Karl and Kolby were doing better. He was pleased to see that she had done a good job taking care of Kolby's injuries, although of course Kelly would still have to treat him, and that she had managed to calm little Karl down successfully.

He approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. She still held on to Karl, but turned to look at him. "How did it go?"

"We defeated the current threat and sent scouts out to search for the main army. They can't be too far away, and so perhaps we can meet them in battle in the next day or so. I have also had Kelly informed of Kolby's injuries, and she will come to tend to them after she has taken care of the others who were injured."

Jennifer nodded. "That is all good news. Good to know that the situation has been taken care of. Should Karl come with us while Kolby is being treated?"

Erik thought about it and consented. "That seems to be a wise decision. He can come sit with us in our tent while we plan our next move and put together what we know."

Kelly arrived and began to take care of Kolby, and Jennifer and Erik walked back to the tent with Karl.

The boy had mostly calmed down. When they arrived at the tent, they all sat down, Karl in a way that he could cuddle with Jennifer and Jennifer leaning against Erik's chest. Erik gave Karl a drink, a potion to help him fall asleep, and then Erik and Jennifer began to plan their next moves.

* * *

Mr. Moates arrived back in 2005 and was a bit taken aback to find that he was at the school. Agent L said, "I thought it would be best if you witnessed the events that took place. I believe that you have a necessary role to play in them."

Mr. Moates nodded and Agent L retrieved an item that would conceal their presence from everyone else while they were there. They watched as Erik and Jennifer appeared in Dr. Evans's classroom and the scene that ensued.

The next day, Agent L said that Mr. Moates would have an important role in the events that would soon play out. He gave him the concealment device and directed him on where to go.

Soon, Mr. Moates saw Erik in the hallway. Erik walked vaguely in his direction and then paused, looking around as if suddenly aware of his presence, although he was concealed.

Everything after that was a blur of motion. Before Mr. Moates could know what was happening, he was strangled.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review to let me know what you think!


	107. Foreboding Victory

While Erik and Jennifer were planning, a pair of scouts had come to their tent to report that they had discovered a possible location of where Matt and the rest of his zombie minions had their camp. Now they could plan more precisely what they would do and where to strike.

Over the course of the next half hour they reworked their original plan and then called in some of his more experienced soldiers to review it. They all seemed to agree with the basics of the plan of attack, and offered their advice on some of its specific details. After a while they determined that they had the most effective plan to meet their goal and finally defeat Matt and the spirit.

The soldiers who were now privy to the plan began to organize the rest of the troops, and Erik got to spend a little while more holding Jennifer close to him.

Meanwhile Jennifer woke the sleeping Karl, and explained to him what was about to happen. He seemed nervous, but excited for a chance to finally stop the one who had destroyed his home and killed his family.

Erik got up to put on his armor, and Jennifer assisted him to speed up the process. Erik said, "Jennifer, I think you should remain here, or at least towards the back of the troops where you can help with some supportive spells. I don't want you to be in any danger."

She considered what he said, and thought it was a reasonable request. "All right, Erik. I'll do that. Be careful, I know our plan will work."

"Yes, my dear, I'm sure that it will. Karl, would you do me a favor and look after my wife for me?"

The boy seemed so pleased that the Emperor had entrusted him with such an important task, and saluted. "Yes, Emperor! I will protect her."

Erik nodded as he helped Jennifer put on her light armor. Erik sent Karl away to go get ready in his own tent, quickly. Erik removed his more casual mask and readied his war mask. Before he placed it on his head, he held Jennifer close to him and kissed her very passionately on the lips.

He caressed the side of her face and ran his other hand through her hair. She placed her hands on his chest, and then timidly brought one up hand up to stroke his bare cheek. Erik moaned and they separated for air.

"I love you, Erik."

He smiled, "I love you, too, my dear. Don't worry, everything will be all right."

Jennifer nodded, and Erik put on his war mask as they walked out of the tent towards the waiting troops.

* * *

Mr. Moates was surprise to find himself alive and conscious in one of the hallways near the auditorium. He was lying on a sofa and Agent L was standing over him, talking in hushed tones in French into his cell phone. When he observed that he was awake, he finished up his call and hung up.

Mr. Moates said, "What happened? Why am I still alive?"

Agent L shrugged. "That's just how this device works. Now you know a little more about what we're dealing with, and there's one more thing you should see before it's time to go. Erik has managed to get his opera performed here, and you should see for yourself what happens. But be careful, your past self is in the audience and running into him could have disastrous effects."

Agent L directed him to a place where he could watch what was going on but was unlikely to be encountered by his past self. Agent L left, saying he had some business he needed to take care of. He watched the events of that night, not really sure what was going on, and was surprised when the chandelier started falling. He helped others near him get out and got out of the auditorium himself.

* * *

Brad and his troops had been pursuing Kevin and his for a while, when finally they had stopped. Both groups were presumably in need of sleep, and so both groups did sleep, each leaving scouts to watch the other. The next morning, the troops readied themselves for a confrontation, and Kevin and Brad met briefly. They agreed to meet each other in a duel later that day while their troops fought.

* * *

Meanwhile, Erik and his troops had advanced on Matt's position. The zombies were a menace to untrained villagers, but they were no match for well-armed and organized soldiers and Erik and his men easily cut down the opposing force.

Erik himself struck down many of them, and his war mask became a thing of fear to the undead soldiers, who were not accustomed to fearing anything. They became scattered and fearful in his wake, and finally Erik encountered Matt.

They fought, and while they did Erik could feel his wife's presence and knew that she was supporting him with magic. He felt encouraged, and Matt really didn't stand a chance. After a little while of fighting he fell to the ground, Erik's blade pointed at his neck.

A strange feeling came over Erik at that moment, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. He had Matt bound and taken away to a tent adjacent to his as his troops finished off the last of Matt's soldiers.

No one seemed to notice the red glint in Erik's eyes as he headed back to meet Jennifer after the battle.


	108. Sometimes Nightmares Do Come True

Kevin and Brad met on the battlefield as their troops were fighting, ready to duel. They fought for quite some time, and Brad always seemed to be a little bit faster and stronger, aided by the slightly more advanced technology of his weaponry and armor. Over the course of the battle Kevin seemed to be becoming worn out, but eventually it became apparent that that was a ruse.

The Sultana directed their spell casters to sap the life out of the dying soldiers on either side, as there were more of them as the battle went on, and send the remains of their energy to Kevin, so that at the end of the battle Kevin received a great burst of energy and Brad was the one who was tired in comparison. He still fought valiantly, but was no match for that kind of magical advantage. Kevin slit his throat and had his own armor replaced with Brad's shiny, high-tech armor.

This caused Brad's troops to go into a panic. Some of them managed to run away into the woods in the direction they had been traveling in before, but most either stayed and fought in vain or, in some cases, stood dumbly in shock and were cut down.

* * *

By the time Erik had found Jennifer, his eyes had reverted back to their normal golden hue. They were both relieved to see that the other was doing well, and Erik slightly raised his war mask to give Jennifer a kiss on the cheek.

Jennifer smiled. "Hello, Erik."

Erik returned her smile, although with his mask on she could not see it. "Hello, my dear. We've captured Matt. If you'd like to wait in the tent for me, I want to go make sure that he's been restrained properly and see if I can get any information from him, although I know he can't talk."

Jennifer nodded, a frown forming on her face as she remembered the reason for that. "Maybe you could get him to write instead."

"Yes, I'll see if that'll work. There is much we need to know from him."

Jennifer nodded and Erik squeezed her hand affectionately before going to the tent where Matt was being held temporarily. It was not too far from his and Jennifer's tent.

The guards cleared the way for him and for some reason, when he handed Matt a pad with a writing implement, he seemed eager to write. For a moment Erik believed he would write something completely useless or some kind of insult, but was surprised to find that the message said, "The spirit is gone, and it's a real threat. I don't know where it went, but I think I know how to stop it. It's a danger to everyone. You already know it was dangerous to Jennifer."

Erik nodded. "Yes, I know these things. And you would be willing to help me find a way to defeat the spirit once and for all?"

Matt nodded enthusiastically.

"How do I know that you aren't just saying this without actually having a way to defeat the spirit, to avoid being tortured again?"

He handed him the pad again after turning it to a different page. The response read, "I lived under that spirit's possession, and that was worse torture than anything you or your men inflicted on me. Like I said before, the spirit is a threat to everyone."

Erik nodded and put the pad back into his cloak, but as he opened his mouth to speak a strange feeling came over him and his eyes shifted from golden to red. "Hello again, Matt. Yes, you recognize me, although I am in a new shape now. You can't scream but I can see it in your eyes. You're right that I'm a threat, of course, and you have made yourself into my enemy. You must know that whatever scheme you've cooked up is unlikely to work, especially while you are trapped as a prisoner here."

Erik's face smirked. "But you aren't really important to me anymore. I can do so much more harm as a figure that the people admire than as some sort of wandering rebel. I will leave you as I found you- a prisoner."

* * *

Jennifer had changed out of her light armor and into something she could sleep in. She was glad that the stress of this battle was over and she and Erik could relax a little bit, although of course their work was not done yet.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Erik entered the tent. She smiled and he asked her if she wouldn't mind assisting him with the removal of his armor. She helped him and asked if he had gained any useful information from Matt, to which he replied that they hadn't learned much from him and that he would need to go back to question him some more later.

Jennifer was taken aback when he suddenly raised his war mask and kissed her on the lips rather roughly. She thought at first that when he just had a lot of energy built up from the battle, but knew that something was wrong when she felt his hands at her waist push her down onto their sleeping area forcefully and then move to pin her wrists above her head.

She knew she had to act quickly, because this wasn't the Erik she knew and loved. As he shifted his weight onto her hips she pushed them into the air and then, before she knew it, flipped him over so that he was on his back. The sudden jarring motion as his head collided with the floor dislodged the war mask and she could see the red eyes that she had feared would be there suddenly dissolve back into Erik's amber-gold, and they both started crying, barely believing what had almost just happened.

* * *

Let me know what you think of this chapter and whether you think it's still within the realm of a T rating or if you think I should move it up to M. This chapter is about as mature as I intend for it to get but I'm not quite sure what to do ratings-wise.


	109. Farewell

Erik and Jennifer embraced each other, still crying. Erik could feel that she was still tense, on the alert, and he couldn't blame her, but now he had a tough decision to make. "My love… I'm so sorry. Are you all right?"

"I think so. Sorry about the whole flipping you onto your back thing. But what are we going to do now that the spirit is inside of you? You know, and clearly she knows too, that a host like you has a lot more potential to cause harm than someone like me or even Matt."

"Don't worry about flipping me over, my dear. You acted quickly and bravely, knowing that I wasn't acting at all like myself, and I'm very proud of you for that. And as for what we can do now…I really hate to say it, but I don't think it's safe here for you anymore. The spirit seems to have made it clear that whenever it is in control of me you will be in danger as long as you are near."

Jennifer nervously moved a hand up to his face to caress it gently. "How will you remove the spirit from yourself, then?"

"I don't know. But I think Matt does."

"Then must I leave with him?"

Erik held her close to him, stroking the back of her head as he sighed. "I am afraid that is the only option available to us at this point. I really do not like this, and you will still be in some danger. I don't know exactly how the spirit will try to turn your disappearance in her favor, but all I can be sure about is that she will. And if I try to completely turn back any orders given out while she is in control, the empire will crumble and fall to our enemies anyway. I will fight the spirit however I can, but I am afraid that I will be unable to really do so openly."

She nodded. "I understand, Erik. I know what it's like to be under her control and I will do whatever it takes to save you."

"Just be careful, Jennifer. Let me help you back into your light armor. I don't know how much time I have left in full control of myself but I want to make the most use of it that I can, and I'd like to see you off as well. It'd be rather difficult otherwise, with all the guards around."

Jennifer nodded, giving him an encouraging smile as he helped her put her light armor back onto her body. As soon as he was done they moved quickly to the tent where Matt was being kept, and the guards let them through.

Matt seemed surprised to see both of them there, particularly Jennifer. Erik addressed him. "I've decided to take you up on your offer of aid. Jennifer will accompany you, but you must go quickly. Do you agree to this?"

Matt nodded, and they untied him and gave him back his confiscated armor and weapons. Erik took Jennifer into a close embrace and they kissed once more before she had to go. Both exchanged farewells and then it was time to leave.

Matt and Jennifer left and, at the same time, Erik put up an illusion around them and the whole area, so that if anyone saw them it would seem like Matt was escaping and Jennifer was being dragged along, but at the same time the guards wouldn't be able to see anything. He wanted to limit the spirit's options for spinning the situation.

After a little while, Erik felt the spirit come back in control, and, enraged at what had happened and the apparent goal of the mission, had him strangle the guards before they even had a chance to react.

The spirit then had him call out an alarm for what had happened, and say that Matt had killed the guards and dragged Jennifer away. Not in control, Erik could only hope he had bought them enough time as the spirit had him assemble search parties to pursue Matt and Jennifer.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it, please review and let me know what you think!


	110. A Meeting of Agents

The search parties were organized and, just as they were about to leave in pursuit of Jennifer, Erik temporarily gained control of himself enough to ask Kelly to come aside and speak with him for a moment.

She seemed confused. "What's going on? There isn't much time to spare to rescue Jennifer."

He frowned. "Kelly, this isn't a rescue mission. I've been possessed by the spirit, the same one that had Jennifer and then Matt under its control. I sent Jennifer away with Matt so that they could try to find a way to defeat it once and for all. I need you to lead these soldiers to ensure that no harm comes to my wife and that she has ample time to find what she needs to find. Bring her back only once she's discovered whatever it is she needs to find, and then make sure that no harm comes to her."

Kelly nodded. "This all seems so strange, but I can do that, Erik."

He nodded back. "Thank you."

Kelly rejoined the rest of the soldiers, and Erik felt the spirit taking over again and sending the groups off to search for Matt and Jennifer.

* * *

When Mr. Moates again regained consciousness, he felt a slight rocking, as if he was on a boat. Agent L was standing next to him, and so were three other people. One was a fairly tall woman with short copper-colored hair and glasses, one was a younger man with blonde hair, and the other was an older Middle-Eastern man.

The woman introduced herself first. "Hello, I've heard you'd make a valuable addition to our team. You can call me Agent May."

The young man waved as an introduction. "I'm Zachary, and the gentleman standing next to me is Nadir Khan."

Agent L greeted Nadir, "Yes, I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Laurent."

They shook hands, and Nadir and Mr. Moates exchanged a glance that revealed to each other that neither really had any idea what was going on. The others all left to take care of business that needed to be done, and, not really having anything specific to do yet, they tried to make sense of everything that had happened to each of them together.

Nadir spoke first. "So, I understand that you were Jennifer's teacher but… in the future?"

"Yes…it's hard to wrap my head around that. I take it…you aren't from this time either?"

"That's correct, but I am from the past. I was told that you were witness to the events that occurred at the school involving Erik and Jennifer, but I was the only one among us present for the events in my time period."

"Where…when exactly are you from?"

Nadir smiled. "Perhaps I should answer both questions for you. They will tell you a great deal that you will likely need to know about Erik, at any rate. I first met Erik when I was working as chief of police of my region of Persia… now Iran, I suppose. His fame had spread all the way from Russia, and it was my task to bring him to the shah and his mother, the sultana. I did so, and he became… a sort of entertainer to them. But they often required assassination and torture in order to be satisfied. Erik was very skilled at providing it, but got involved in too much political intrigue and, it was decided, knew too many state secrets to live. I was ordered to kill him, but I devised a plan to save his life instead. I went to jail for it, but he was safely out of the country."

Mr. Moates asked, "Why would you risk so much on your part for him?"

"I had already lost my wife and son. Erik was my friend and I saw in him…so much potential to do good if only he could see it. I hope we'll find that Jennifer will bring that out in him now and he won't be much trouble, but we'll have to see."

"So what happened with Erik and Jennifer?"

"I started to see that he was falling in love with her. She had been kidnapped, of course, so I was very worried about her. Eventually he gave her an ultimatum, to marry him or let everyone else die. She chose the former and he let everyone else go back using the Story Seeker, with the exception of one classmate who stayed to witness the wedding with me."

"What was the wedding like?"

"It was…strange, but in a way was almost romantic. It was very obvious that Erik loves her, and I could tell that, if she didn't love him yet at that point, she at least felt very strongly for him. If I wasn't much deceived it seemed that she did come to love him. But… all the same, there were the events at your school that he caused."

"Yes. So, do you have any idea what our role in this will be?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I know Erik fairly well, and I gather that you know Jennifer to some degree, at least better than the investigators and I do. They've never met her, and I've only had one or two brief conversations with her. We are hoping that, since I'm here, we'll be able to negotiate with him where force would not work. Erik eluded several world leaders who very much wanted him dead in my time; doing so in your time presents greater challenges, but I believe he is up to it should he choose to be. He has already made it very difficult on the investigators. We need a way to convince him to cooperate willingly. Apparently they have plans for how his… skills could be put to use by your government. I am very familiar with this as, well, as I told you before, I recruited him for my government. But I doubt it would be possible to put his skills to use without him somehow being willing."

Mr. Moates nodded. "And Jennifer is the way to convince him of that. How…how old is she now?"

"Fifteen, I believe."

Mr. Moates cringed, thinking of the age difference in the couple and how young she was. "If Erik has Jennifer hidden with him on some island, then she can't be going to school."

Nadir nodded. "No, we don't believe she is currently."

"The Jennifer I knew never would have doubted that she was going to college and that she was going to do very well there. I didn't know Jennifer when she was fifteen, but I can't imagine her being any less ambitious than she was when I knew her. If that hasn't already caused some contention between them I imagine it will soon."

"Yes, I imagine it might be one of the few things she would challenge him on."

After Nadir said that, Agent May walked back into the room. "Well, we have to find Erik before we can try to negotiate with him. But you are probably right. So that you know what we're going to do, we need to make a deal with him. His marriage as it is now… was at ceremony in the 18th century, under circumstances that would not have even been legal then, much less now. His marriage cannot be recognized, but depending on how cooperative he is, we can get him to work for us instead of spending many years locked away in a mental institution, and perhaps we can even get him some form of partial custody of Jennifer, let her visit him over the summer and such."

Nadir nodded, "That's probably the best that can be hoped for, for everyone involved."

* * *

Thank you for reading, and please review to let me know what you think!


	111. A New Voice

Jennifer and Matt finally arrived at a place where they could rest for a time. They had run for what felt like hours and finally managed to elude the pursuing soldiers by hiding in the woods and then finding the entrance to a series of tunnels and caves that Erik had mentioned to Jennifer during his planning. Matt collapsed from exhaustion and Jennifer set to work on another plan of hers.

By the time Matt had woken up, she had completed a prototype of her idea. It would hopefully allow Matt to speak without his tongue, as a replacement. She explained to him the basics of how it would function. "You won't have your old voice back, but you'll at least be able to speak and won't have to be dependent on writing and body language to communicate. If we get to a place with better materials I can try to make a new model that isn't so crude, but I suppose this will have to do for now."

Matt nodded and, after fitting it into place according to her instructions, spoke. "Thank you for this. I hope you didn't feel guilty for what the spirit made you do. The spirit made both of us do things we never would have done otherwise. Speaking of which, what did it make Erik do that he had you rush away like that? I never would have thought he'd have a pressing enough reason to have you leave his side."

Jennifer met his glance, not wanting to seem as weak as she felt. "She didn't make him do anything, but she tried and came close to succeeding. He didn't want me to be nearby if she did succeed."

Matt nodded, deciding not to pry. His new voice may have been raspy and hoarse, but he was grateful just to be able to speak again. "Well, thanks again for this. You probably should get some rest as well, or if you'd like we can move on a bit first."

"I'm not really tired yet. We can move on for a few more hours, gain a little bit more ground, and then rest."

They did so, and once they found a suitable place to rest Jennifer slept and Matt kept watch.

* * *

Meanwhile, Erik, under the control of the spirit, was holding a brief press conference. The people seemed to like Jennifer, but it was necessary to ensure that their favor would lie with Erik- that is, the spirit- above all. Erik had limited her options on how to portray the events that occurred, but that didn't really bug her. A kidnapping seemed more favorable to report to the media than a runaway anyway, at least from her standpoint.

So long as she, through Erik, could convince the media, and thus the people, that Jennifer had not gone away, but was taken, they would be eager to rise up for the cause of saving her and defeating an enemy whose methods would seem to involve only burning villages and kidnapping young girls.

It was easy enough to make Erik appear strong, but with a faint hint of distress, enough for the media to pick up on easily, at the meeting. The spirit said, "Jennifer, my wife, the empress, has been taken away from me, from us. Our soldiers are in hot pursuit of her kidnapper, and I still have hope that we will find her alive. Her kidnapper was the one of the men who poisoned her previously, and the same man who has been attacking our villages. After we captured him, he killed his guards and dragged her away. Our lands and our people will not be safe until he is brought to justice."

The media questions began, but the spirit could tell she had them in the bag. While she kept up a front of distress, which was easy enough as Erik really was feeling rather worried, she was inwardly smirking. They would report what she had said through him to the people, and they would rush to what they thought was his aid.

She made certain that Erik didn't regain any kind of control until well after the press conference, when he was alone in his tent and could no longer affect her plan.

* * *

Sorry for the delay. A 6 week accelerated summer semester of chemistry and physics a week after the spring semester ended really wore me out. Glad that's over; now the next chapter should come quicker and hopefully will be longer too. Be sure to review to let me know what you think!


	112. A Pawn or a Queen

When Erik was back in his tent and back in control, alone since the spirit had told the guards that he needed some space for a little while, he howled in anger at the situation he was in and resolved that he would need to find a way out of the spirit's control before Jennifer came back with the antidote, if that was possible.

He paced around the room, furious at his lack of control over the situation. Pretty much anything he could try to do, the spirit could just undo.

He heard her voice in his head. "That's right, Erik. Don't try to fight it. You can't, not for too long at least. And I can help you get whatever you want. We don't need to be enemies."

"All I wanted was to be left in peace with my wife!" He raged. "You've already taken that away from me."

"As I recall, you're the one who sent her away. I was just trying to get you what you want, since you are clearly unwilling to take it for yourself."

"I already had all I wanted at the moment before you decided to come along and ruin it. You're here for your own power grab; don't pretend to be helping me."

"You're right, of course, but there's no reason I can't help you if you help me just a little bit here."

"How exactly would you expect me to help you?"

"Oh, you know…try not to be so troublesome about this. Stop directly undermining what I'm trying to do here. And don't worry that I'll hurt your wife. I won't. Not when I know that she's an important key to gaining control of such a prize as your mind."

"If you wanted my cooperation, trying to get me to force myself on my wife was a bad way to achieve it…"

"Hmm…it may well turn out to have been a blunder. And yet, it may still achieve its desired effects. The pieces are still on the board for that one."

Erik growled. "My wife is not just some pawn for you to play with!"

The spirit laughed maniacally through Erik's body. "You're right, of course. She not a pawn. She's the queen in this game, isn't she? Your empress. While she's out there on the board, you have to imagine that there's still hope for you, don't you? But you're wrong. The queen will be taken, and then it'll be just a few short moves until check mate."

Erik clenched his fists. "This is all just a game to you. Why do you persist in playing it? What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I think I've told you all about this before. I want power. This 'game' is how I intend to get it. Once Jennifer is retrieved… I can undo the damage I did to her earlier, if you wish. I can even make her mind a bit more open to suggestion."

"That won't be necessary…but it would be good of you to fix whatever you broke, if that's possible."

"I assure you, it is possible. And would it really be so bad, to make things that much easier on her? To make her forget why she'd even want to fight you on this?"

"Of course it would be bad, though I can't expect you to understand why. People generally aren't very appreciative when you get in their heads and mess with how they think…"

"No, they don't seem to be. It doesn't seem like I'll be able to convince you of this just yet, so as I have things to do I'll just take control again."

Erik roared, but he couldn't stop the spirit from taking over once more.


	113. Pieces Moving into Position

In the tunnels, Matt and Jennifer moved on, keeping a lookout both for any troops that might stumble upon them and for any herbs that might happen to be or to be part of the necessary antidote. For the most part they didn't come across any trouble, occasionally hearing troops pass over their heads.

They covered a fair amount of ground, but couldn't seem to find any plants even remotely of the sort they were looking for.

They did, however, find some plants that were edible, so luckily they had something to eat. They pressed on, hoping they would lose the soldiers looking for them and eventually come to an exit from the tunnels.

* * *

The spirit, now controlling Erik, walked out into the woods a fair distance away from the camp. The spirit kept walking until she encountered a strange pile of rocks in a clearing.

At that point, the spirit stopped and called, "Peter!"

The rocks moved and floated in the air until they formed a huge golem, taller even than Erik. It looked at Erik quizzically, having been asleep for the whole time since they entered the story. However, it was indeed Peter from the class.

The spirit quickly broke off a part of itself and sent it into Peter. "Now I will be with you."

Peter nodded.

"You must find them before the soldiers do. Kill Matt, and injure Jennifer. Not severely, but enough that she won't be able to make another escape and enough that it'll be easy to convince the people that Matt kidnapped her and needed to be stopped. You understand?"

Peter nodded once again, eyes red just like Erik's were.

The spirit smirked through Erik, glad that only a small portion of herself would be necessary to insure that Peter would do as instructed, and walked back to the camp as Peter took off in search of Matt and Jennifer.

* * *

The soldiers had searched for a long while, but it was in vain. Kelly was starting to wonder if Jennifer and Erik had designed a cloaking device or something. Either way, Kelly was glad that Matt and Jennifer didn't seem to be having any trouble eluding the soldiers thus far, even without any sabotage on her part to buy them more time.

Kelly wondered if they were any closer to finding what they were looking for yet. She certainly hoped they were, but would do what she could to buy them more time.

Suddenly, she heard a commotion a fair distance away from her. A soldier had stumbled upon the entrance to hidden tunnels, as well as evidence that two people had entered them.

Since no searches above the tunnels had yielded results, it was decided to send the bulk of the search force into the tunnels and let the rest continue searching above.

Kelly thought the best course of action would be to go into the tunnels, as it seemed unlikely that Jennifer would have remained above ground with so many soldiers around.

She only hoped she could buy her enough time, and that someone or something else wouldn't find them first.


End file.
